Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge
by merlyn2
Summary: Asgardian Wars, Evo style - Chapter Twenty now up.
1. Through the Portal

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW BRIDGE.  
  
by Todd Jensen.  
  
DISCLAIMER: X-Men: Evolution characters belong to Film Roman Entertainment   
and Marvel Enterprises. All Marvel Comics characters featured here belong   
to Marvel, not to me.  
  
1. THROUGH THE PORTAL.  
  
"Just a few more adjustments... There. That should do it."  
  
The young mutant inventor known only as Forge stepped back, reverted his arm   
from machine-form to flesh, and turned to the three other mutants watching   
him. "We're ready to test it."  
  
"You're sure that this is gonna work properly?" asked Logan, looking at the   
complicated machinery before them with a decidedly skeptical frown. "Cause   
the last time that you did something like this, we wound up facing an   
invasion of pygmy tyrannosaurs."  
  
"Don't worry, Logan," said Forge. "If anything tries to get through from   
the other side of this one, I'll switch the dimensional portal apparatus off   
in a hurry. Besides, this is a whole different parallel universe. No fire   
and brimstone or miniature dinosaurs this time."  
  
"Then let's begin," said Professor Xavier. "I'm interested in seeing just   
what this parallel universe that your machine's connected to looks like."  
  
"And so am I," said Beast. "It should make for some fascinating study."  
  
"Then here goes!" said Forge. He operated a few switches, and pulled a  
lever.  
  
The large metal doorway-shaped frame mounted on the right of the control   
panel began to shimmer. The laboratory wall behind it disappeared, replaced   
by swirling colors in a rainbow hue. And then, they dispersed, to reveal   
what definitely was not the inside of  
the laboratory in the basement of Professor Xavier's mansion.  
  
A forest of pine trees swept all the way towards distant mountains, rising   
majestically towards the heavens. The sky above was winter-pale, and snow   
lay upon the tree branches, sometimes filtering down upon the ground. A   
keen chill wind blew through the portal into the lab.  
  
"Well, I must admit, it looks much more Earth-like than I had expected,"   
said Xavier, after a moment's silence.  
  
"I agree, Professor," said Beast. "It looks a great deal like Norway, in   
fact."  
  
"Yeah, you're right," said Forge, sounding a little disappointed. "I  
wonder if I did something wrong. I mean, maybe I miscalculated a little,   
and just opened a window on Norway rather than another dimension."  
  
"I don't think so," said Wolverine, pointing at something descending from   
the heavens. It looked like a golden eagle, but much larger than was normal   
for such birds. "They don't grow 'em that big in Norway."  
  
"Oh my stars and garters!" cried Beast, his eyes widening. "I do believe   
that the bird can sense us!"  
  
He was right. The eagle was swooping straight towards the portal,  
approaching with dramatic speed. It screeched loudly as it came, staring   
straight at the four mutants on the other side.  
  
Wolverine unleashed his adamantium claws at once, ready for battle. But   
Forge moved quicker. He reached for the level and pushed it back to its   
original position. The world beyond the portal, including the eagle,   
vanished abruptly, and the laboratory wall appeared in its place.  
  
"That was certainly a close one," he said, letting out a relieved breath. "A   
few more seconds, and that bird would actually have broken through. And   
then things would really have gotten ugly."  
  
"I most heartily concur," said Beast. "It does appear that this parallel   
dimension certainly has some serious hazards within it. We will need to   
take some precautions before embarking upon our next investigation."  
  
Xavier nodded. "Yes, I cannot place my students in danger," he said.  
"Until we can keep whatever is on the other side of that portal from   
breaking through into our own world, I am in favor of immediately suspending   
this experiment."  
  
"Yeah," said Wolverine, also nodding, as he sheathed his claws. "That  
makes three of us, Chuck."  
  
"Good point," said Forge. "Tomorrow I'll see if I can do some fresh  
adjustments to this portal. Make it more like a window, less like a door,   
so that nothing can get out that way. Then it'll be safe."  
  
"I must admit, though," said Xavier, "that I did find that eagle quite  
interesting. Not only was it much larger than normal, but I could sense   
something different about it. Almost as though it was intelligent. If I had   
had a little more time, I would have reached out to it, to see if it was   
sentient enough for me to establish telepathic communications  
with it."  
  
"Yes, that would be fascinating if it were," said Beast eagerly. "Think   
what we could learn from it! An actual intelligence equal to our own, in an   
avian body! Who knows what kind of outlook upon the world it might have?   
It would be almost like making contact with intelligent life-forms from   
another planet!"  
  
"If you ask me, it was looking for a scrap, rather than a civilized  
conversation," commented Wolverine dourly. "But at least it can't get at us   
now."  
  
"Well, I believe that that's enough of this experiment for today," said  
Xavier.  
  
"We'll have to continue this tomorrow, or whenever Forge completes his  
fine-tunings. For now, it's time for us to leave this place and lock up."  
  
The others concurred, and followed him out of the laboratory. Forge closed   
the door behind him and locked it tightly. "That should stop anyone from   
getting in."  
  
That would have been the case in a house with normal residents. However,   
Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was not such a house.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hide!" cried Bobby, motioning to the others. "They're coming this way!"  
  
Jubilee, Sam, and Ray joined with him in ducking down the corridor  
branching to one side and flattening themselves against the wall as Xavier   
and the others walked past. None of them breathed until the four of them   
were out of hearing range.  
  
"That was close," said Jubilee, in a whisper. "Bobby, is this really worth   
it?"  
  
"Of course it is," said Bobby. "Don't you want to find out just what   
they've been up to in there?"  
  
"Well, yes," she said, nodding. "But - look what happened to us the last   
time we tried doing something like that. We almost got fried by the Danger   
Room equipment."  
  
"That only happened because that little tagalong got into the control  
room," replied Ray. "As long as he doesn't show up, we're fine."  
  
The four members of the New Mutants team, as the new students at the  
Institute informally called themselves, reached the laboratory door. Bobby   
tried to turn the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Locked," he said, in a   
disappointed tone of voice. "It figures."  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Ray.  
  
"Pity that we can't talk Kitty into helping us out here," said Bobby. "Or   
Kurt, for that matter. They could get us in there easy."  
  
"Well, I don't think that either one of them is going to agree to that,"   
said Jubilee. "So that leaves us back where we started."  
  
"I've got an idea," said Sam, moving backwards down the corridor, preparing   
for a run. "Get away from the door, all of you!"  
  
"What, are you nuts?" cried Jubilee. "If you break down the door, they'll   
know that we got in, and -"  
  
But the Kentucky youth paid her no heed. Instead, he came charging  
straight for the door, charged up with his mutant thermo-kinetical ability.   
The other three New Mutants pressed themselves against the wall just in time   
as he rammed through the door, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of it.   
"I'm in!" he called out to them, sticking his head  
through the hole.  
  
"Well, Jube, you've got to admit, it got us in," said Bobby cheerfully. He   
and Ray climbed through the hole, with Jubilee following.  
  
"So what is this stuff, anyway?" Ray asked, looking at the control panel   
dominating the room.  
  
"It looks like another one of Forge's contraptions," said Bobby. "Kind of   
like the one that he built when he wanted to find out about that place that   
Kurt pops into whenever he's bamfing around."  
  
"Ugh, I hope not," said Jubilee, shuddering. "That's all that we need.  
More of those creepy dinosaur-things on the loose."  
  
"They probably wouldn't do as much damage as you four already have," said a   
voice from behind them. The four youngsters turned around to see Amara   
standing there, looking at them disapprovingly. Roberto, Rahne, and Jamie   
were right behind her, climbing in through the hole.  
  
"Uh, hi, Amara," said Bobby, doing his best not to sound nervous, and  
feeling relieved that at least it wasn't Scott or Jean or one of the   
grown-ups who'd caught them at it. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Keeping an eye on you," she replied. "You people certainly need it, in   
light of your constant inability to stay out of trouble. And I'd thought   
that you'd learned your lesson after what happened when you decided to take   
the Blackbird for a joyride. Didn't having to clean it up afterwards teach   
you anything?"  
  
"Hey, I wasn't one of the ones on board!" shouted Ray at her, indignantly.   
"So don't go blaming me for it!"  
  
"We have a saying back in Nova Roma," Amara said, in the tone of regal  
dignity, almost to the point of disdain, that she was so skilled at using.   
" 'If you keep company with ruffians, then you are to be judged as one.'"  
  
"Come on, Amara, lighten up!" said Bobby. "What's the harm in what we're   
doing, anyway?"  
  
"Since you do not seem to comprehend, allow me to explain it to you," she   
answered. "First, you have demolished the laboratory door. Second, you have   
broken into the laboratory itself, and were obviously about to meddle with   
that device over there, a device that you have not been given permission to   
handle - and which probably shouldn't even be used at all, in light of the   
trouble that's come from using such things before. Need I say more?"  
  
Rahne, Roberto, and Jamie had walked past her in the meantime, and were  
looking closer at the machine itself. "I wonder what Forge was building   
this thing for," said Roberto to the others.  
  
"I dinna know, and I'm nae certain that I want to know," said Rahne, eyeing   
the control panel suspiciously, as though it might come to life and attack   
her and her fellow mutants. "I'd let it be, if I were you."  
  
"Sound advice," said Amara, nodding. "I still say that we should leave -   
and that the proper thing for you to do, Bobby Drake, would be to first   
admit to the Professor what you and your friends did, and then repair that   
door. Now, before anything worse happens."  
  
"What do you mean?" protested Ray heatedly. "After all the trouble it took   
us to get in here, we have to leave without even getting to switch that   
thing on?"  
  
"Exactly," Amara answered.  
  
"Well, I want to see what it does," said Ray.  
  
"And so do I," said Bobby. "I'll just switch it on for a moment, anyway,"   
he continued, walking over to the lever. "Just a few seconds. How much   
harm can that do?"  
  
"Knowing you, a considerable amount," said Amara sharply. "Bobby, I'm  
warning you. If you don't move away from that machine before I count to  
ten -"  
  
Ignoring her, Bobby pulled on the lever. Amara raised her hand and a ball   
of fire formed in it. "Move that lever back to where you found it, now!"   
she shouted.  
  
"You wouldn't dare, 'Lava Lamp'," Bobby replied, looking her defiantly in   
the eye.  
  
"Lava Lamp?" cried Amara, glowering at him. And then, she threw the  
fireball. Not directly at him, of course, merely aiming a little to the   
right, as a warning.  
  
What Amara had not anticipated was that Bobby would at once shoot a small   
blast of ice back at the fireball, as a hurried defense. The two mutant   
attacks met each other in mid-air, with the result that both, upon making   
contact with one another, veered off course from the force of the impact,   
and hurtled directly into the portal just as it was activating. There was a   
mini-explosion, and sparks flew out from the framework. Hardly any of the   
New Mutants saw that, however. They were too busy watching the   
confrontation between Bobby and Amara.  
  
"Care to try that again, Lava Lamp?" asked Bobby, a superior-looking grin on   
his face.  
  
"Indeed I will, Frosty," she retorted. "You just see!"  
  
"Um, guys?" asked Roberto suddenly, pointing to the portal. "Is it  
supposed to be doing that?"  
  
Everyone else turned to look at the door-frame. The swirling rainbow-hued   
colors were already dispersing, and a wintry forested landscape had come   
into view. But the framework was continuing to tremble and emit sparks. And   
then, the tugging sensation began. It pulled at all eight youngsters,   
dragging them closer and closer to the threshold of  
the portal.  
  
"Now see what you did?" Bobby shouted to Amara, attempting to grab hold of   
part of the control panel to anchor himself, and failing.  
  
"Me?" she retorted, struggling against the suction and failing likewise. "If   
you hadn't gone about meddling with that machine to begin with -"  
  
But she never had the opportunity to complete the sentence. For the force   
from the doorway now reached its climax, drawing all eight New Mutants to   
itself, as inexorably as a piece of metal responding to the summons from   
Magneto's magnetic abilities. And then, they found themselves hurtling   
helplessly across the threshold and into its  
depths. Eight terrified screams resounded through the laboratory. And then   
there was silence, and the room was empty again. 


	2. The Arrival

2. THE ARRIVAL.  
  
Loki Laufeyson surveyed the gathering in the great council chamber of Utgard, and nodded satisfiedly. Almost everyone was here. The frost giants of Jotunheim, assembled under their king, Utgard-Loki (who really, he thought, ought to change his name to something less likely to provoke confusion between the two of them); of course, since  
Utgard was their chief stronghold, it was inevitable that they would be there. Several trollish chieftains, under Geirrodur, their king. And the various leading earls and lords among the dark elves of Svartalfheim, as well. There were a few faces not present here, admittedly, such as the fire demons of Muspelheim, the Fenris-wolf, and Jormungand the  
Midgard-Serpent, but no matter. He could find some means of rectifying that later.  
  
In the meantime, he now cleared his throat, and addressed them.   
  
"I suppose that you are all wondering why I asked you here," he said. In an aside tone of voice, he added, "I always wanted to say that at the start of a council."  
  
"Aye, that we have, Laufeyson," said King Geirrodur. "State your purpose, and be done with it!"  
  
"Patience, my friend, patience," said Loki calmly. "Just sit back and listen, while I unfold my stratagem.  
  
"Now then, as you all know, we share a common foe: Asgard, and its inhabitants, the Aesir. How often, my friends, have you desired to breach Asgard's walls, seize its wealth, and topple that insufferable Odin All-Father from his throne? How often? A great many times, more than can be numbered, I imagine. Is that not so, my friends?"  
  
"Aye, that is so," said Utgard-Loki, speaking in a low growl. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to wipe those pestilential Aesir clean from the nine worlds, and annex their lands." There was a great deal of nodding and murmured agreement from the rest of the frost giants, not to mention the trolls and the dark elves.  
  
"As I expected," said Loki. "But so far, Odin has withstood every assault directed against his kingdom - until now. But the time has come for this to change."  
  
"And exactly how will it change, Loki?" asked one of the dark elf earls. "Tell us!"  
  
"It is a simple matter of intelligent strategy and tactics," said Loki. He considered for a moment making some clever remark about how a number of the assembled folk in the council chamber, especially the trolls, would have found such skills far beyond their capabilities, but then decided against it. It was tempting, but even the slowest-witted troll present would have recognized it as an insult, and taken offense, which would certainly have been counter-productive to his purposes. "Before now, all of you have fought the Aesir on your own, without allies or assistance. And on all of those occasions, they put you to rout. But consider this, all of you. Supposing that we were to join all our forces together, forming a solemn alliance and league, to hurl all of our might against Asgard in one great army? With such a stratagem, we could be nothing but victorious. The Aesir would fall before us, and we would have it all!"  
  
He waited for the cheering and applause to come, hailing him for his bold and cunning plan. But there was almost complete silence. A few of the smaller trolls grunted enthusiastically, but then stopped as the larger trolls glowered at them. Loki frowned thoughtfully. This was not the response that he had been expecting. "Is anything wrong?" he asked puzzledly. "You seem - not especially eager to adopt this plan."  
  
"And for good reason," said Utgard-Loki. "Surely you, Loki Laufeyson, as a dweller in Asgard, should know why. It is because of Thor! Yes, Thor! Think of how many of our kind he has already dispatched to Hel's kingdom with his accursed hammer!"  
  
The other frost giants began to murmur in agreement, their voices swelling in the background.  
  
"He slew Thiassi and tossed his eyes up into the sky as stars."  
  
"He slew Hrungnir at Grjotungardar."  
  
"He smote down Thrym and all his household."  
  
"He threw a red-hot iron bar at me, when he visited my castle," said King Geirrodur of the Trolls, shuddering at the memory. "I barely survived."  
  
"You know what Thor is capable of against us as well as I do," said Utgard-Loki, a note of near-apprehensiveness creeping into his voice. "You were there when he visited my castle, Loki. Surely you recall his amazing feats of strength there. Were it not for my illusions, who knows what more he might have done."  
  
Loki nodded, listening, then held up his hands. "Well-spoken, my friends," he said. "And I quite sympathize with your concerns regarding the Thunderer. But you need not fear for yourselves this time. He will not be able to defend Asgard against you again."  
  
"And what do you mean by that?" asked Utgard-Loki, leaning forward and staring Loki straight in the face, frowning.  
  
"Then you have not heard the latest tidings, I take it?" asked Loki, a gleeful look upon his face. "Thor has been banished from Asgard, by Odin himself."  
  
"Banished?" asked Utgard-Loki, astonished. "Is this true, Loki? For if you are deceiving us - and you are renowned as a liar and trickster, do not forget - then must you beware our wrath."  
  
"It is entirely true," Loki answered. "Odin sent his son to Midgard, in exile, to teach him humility and obedience. He stripped him of his very godhood, and imprisoned him in the body of a human, and a lame one at that. He'll not be returning any time soon. His hammer has been sent away as well, and his chariot is already beginning to gather dust and cobwebs in Bilskirnir. We are finally rid of him. And with Thor gone, the rest of the Aesir will be unable to withstand our gathered might. We shall fall upon them, and conquer Asgard at last. So, are you with me?"  
  
There was a moment's silence, as the assembled giants, trolls, and dark elves pondered Loki's words. Then, they eagerly nodded. "Yes!" they cried. "Yes! Asgard is ours!"  
  
"Gather your forces together," said Loki. "We march as one army upon Odin's domain, and the Aesir shall fall before us. Victory shall be ours!"  
  
There was suddenly a disturbance at the window, and then a great eagle flew in, alighting on the table. All eyes turned towards it. It was Loki who spoke first.  
  
"Ah, greetings, Hraesvelgir," he said. "I had not expected you to honor us with your presence at this council, but you are welcome here, all the same. What tidings have you for us?"  
  
The eagle spoke, in a shrill voice, like the cry of a normal eagle but shaped into words. "Something is stirring in the forest, to the east of here. A gateway took shape, for a time, and then vanished."  
  
"A gateway?" asked Loki, sounding interested. "Fascinating. What were you able to learn regarding it?"  
  
"Very little," said Hraesvelgir. "It closed before I could reach it. But I could see through it, into another world, if but for a brief time. I saw a place of strange machinery, surpassing even the craftings of the dwarves. And there were men of Midgard there, as well - and a strange beast with blue fur. But I saw no more of them than a glimpse."  
  
"A portal to Midgard has formed?" asked Utgard-Loki, frowning. "I like this not, Loki. Did you not say that it was to there that Thor was exiled?"  
  
"Indeed I did," said Loki. "But I doubt that we have anything to fear. Odin would  
not recall him so soon - especially since he cannot even know of our council as yet. And if he had come back through the portal, Hraesvelgir here would surely have seen it."  
  
"Still, the very fact that this gateway exists does not bode well," said the King of Jotunheim. "Who knows what may emerge from it, should it appear again?"   
  
"A cogent point, my friend," said Loki. "I do not think that Thor will take advantage of it, of course; he has been stripped not only of his hammer and his prowess, but even of his memories; he has forgotten his heritage, and believes himself mortal-born now, of Ask and Embla's race. So even if he were to behold that portal, he would not think to use it. However, it does indeed demand investigating. I should certainly like to know what caused it, in any case."  
  
"Then go there, and find out," said Utgard-Loki.  
  
"Of course," said Loki, nodding. He glanced over at a few of the knights and housecarls among the dark elves. "You would not mind accompanying me, noble sirs?" he asked them. "An escort of honor to this place would not be amiss."  
  
The dark elf knights conferred among themselves, then nodded. Loki turned to Hraesvelgir. "Lead the way to this place where you saw the gateway," he said. "I shall examine it when we arrive."  
  
The eagle nodded, and flew out the window. Loki and the dark elves left the council chamber.  
  
* * *  
  
Eight shapes landed in the snow with some loud ooofs. It was more than  
eight shapes that arose from it, rubbing themselves painfully and brushing themselves off, thanks to Jamie's multiplying powers having been activated by his impacting the ground.  
  
"What is this place, anyway?" asked Jubilee, looking about and shivering. "And how'd we get here?"  
  
"It must have been Forge's machine," said Roberto. "It dumped us all   
here. This is probably another one of those other dimensions that he likes to experiment with."  
  
"Whatever it is, it's cold," Jubilee replied. "If I'd known that we were  
going to have a one-way ticket to this place, I'd have put on my coat first."  
  
"Well, we wouldn't even be here in this place," said Amara, looking sharply at Bobby, "if a certain mutant hadn't decided to meddle about with something best left alone."  
  
"Hey!" shouted Bobby. "It was that fireball of yours that caused all the problems, you know! If you hadn't thrown it at me, we wouldn't be here at all!"  
  
"And if you hadn't broken into the laboratory, and gone prying into the  
workings of Forge's machine, which you had no business doing, I would not have had any need to do just that," she retorted. "Besides, your ice did just as much damage, if not more."  
  
"It did not!" shouted Bobby. "It's your fault, not mine, 'Hot Stuff'!"  
  
"Repeat that again," said Amara angrily, forming a fresh ball of fire in  
her hand.  
  
"Very well, then," said Bobby defiantly. "Hot Stuff, Hot Stuff, Hot  
Stuff!"  
  
"That does it!" cried Amara. She shifted from her normal form of a young adolescent girl into that of a fiery humanoid, and hurled the fireball at him.  
  
Bobby coated himself with ice from his feet to his head and shot out an ice shield to block the fireball attack, following it by shooting a fresh spray of ice at Amara. And the next moment, the two of them were hurling one attack after another. Fireballs froze in mid-air and fell to the ground, shattering, while blasts of ice melted under  
other fiery attacks and evaporated into steam. The other six New Mutants watched the battle, awe-struck.  
  
"Shouldn't we stop them?" asked Jamie.  
  
"Good idea," said Roberto. "The trouble is, I don't think that we've got  
too many volunteers for that job."  
  
"You can say that again," said Jubilee. "Getting in the way in the middle  
of a fight between Wolverine and Sabretooth would be a lot safer than that."  
  
"Well, I've something ta say about all this," said Rahne. "Stop this at  
once, both o' ye!" she shouted at the two quarreling mutants. "We dinna have time for this! We're lost in a strange forest, probably miles from any shelter, and most probably not even in the same world that we belong in! We should be finding a solution for this problem, not  
battlin' one another!"  
  
Iceman and Magma both halted, suspending their attacks upon each other, and turning to face Rahne. "You stay out of this!" both shouted, almost as one. And then both launched their attacks upon her, Bobby letting fly with more ice, Amara with more fire.  
  
Rahne ducked in time, and shifted into her wolf-form almost at once.  
Standing her  
ground, she growled fiercely at them, more as a warning than an outright challenge.  
  
"Rahne's right," said Sam, quickly moving over to her side before Bobby   
and Amara could initiate a second attack. "Come on! We're not going to get anything done if we stand here and fight!"  
  
Silence followed, as the two young mutants stared him in the face. Then both sighed, and reverted to their normal forms.  
  
"You have a point," said Amara. "We should find out where we are, and   
how we can get back to the laboratory. Although that won't be easy. I can't even see where we came in."  
  
She turned to Bobby. "So do you agree, then?" she asked. "We call a truce while we're still in this place. No more fighting, and no more arguing over whose fault it was until we get home. And then I'll remind you that you got us into this."  
  
Bobby glowered at her after that last sentence, but then nodded. "All  
right," he said. "Truce."  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Jubilee.  
  
"Find out where we are, for a start," said Amara, surveying the horizon.  
There was nothing but forest on all sides of them, and snow-capped mountains in the distance. The only living thing in sight was a great eagle. It circled over their heads briefly, and then flew off. "And that won't be easy."  
  
* * *  
  
Loki and the dark elf knights halted as Hraesvelgir landed before them. "Well, my friend?" asked Loki. "What have you to report?"  
  
"Folk from Midgard," said the eagle, in its harsh voice. "But strange  
ones."  
  
"Nearly all of Midgard's residents are strange these days," said Loki,  
nodding in an offhand manner. "I haven't been that way for almost a thousand years, but I understand that their world has changed noticeably during that time. Please be a little more specific."  
  
"There are eight of them, all told," said Hraesvelgir. "And they are  
little more than children, arrayed in garments unlike any that I have beheld before - except in that chamber that I saw earlier. But they have powers, powers that I have never beheld the humans of  
Midgard wield before."  
  
"Indeed?" asked Loki, interest sounding in his voice. "What sort of  
powers?"  
  
"There was a boy who can wield ice and frost as a weapon, as well as any of Ymir's descent," said the great eagle. "And a maiden who can hurl fire, and even transform herself into a being of flame, as though she came from Muspellheim. And there was another maiden who can change into a wolf."  
  
"How fascinating," said Loki. "So these guests from Midgard are young sorcerers. Imagine that."  
  
"So what do we do about them?" asked one of the dark elf knights.  
  
"Seek them out, of course," Loki answered. "They could make useful allies in our war. Or at the least, catapult-fodder."  
  
"And if they have no desire to aid us in our invasion?" the knight inquired.  
  
"Who said that I was going to give them a choice?" Loki said, an evil smile curling his lips. 


	3. First Encounter

3. FIRST ENCOUNTER.  
  
"So how are we going to get out of this place?" asked Roberto. "We can't even see the way that we came in."  
  
"I know," said Bobby. "Don't worry; I'm working on that."  
  
"And do you have any answers yet?" asked Jubilee.  
  
"Actually, no, I don't," he admitted. "But something's bound to turn up sooner or later. Just give me a little more time."  
  
"If you ask me," said Amara, "the first thing that we need to do is to find some shelter. Some place where it's warm. And then we need to find out just what this place is, and where we are."  
  
"Do you think that there are any people living here?" asked Jamie. "I mean, we haven't seen any at all yet. What if there aren't any around for miles?"  
  
"We'll just have to deal with that problem when it comes," said Amara. She glanced briefly at Bobby, as if to say "And we still wouldn't be in this predicament if you hadn't been tampering with the machine," but this time said nothing.  
  
"So which way do we go?" asked Jubilee. "I mean, every direction from here looks the same."  
  
"Maybe you can help out here, Rahne," suggested Roberto. "I mean, wolves have a really keen sense of smell. You could morph into one and find out if there's anything that your nose can pick up to tell us which way we should go in."  
  
"Very well," said Rahne. "But I canna promise anything."  
  
With that, she shifted into her wolf-form, and sniffed the air intently. Then, only half a minute later, she changed back into her human shape. "There are people coming this way," she said. "And horses, too!" She pointed to the west. "I could pick up their scent!"  
  
"People?" said Bobby. "Well, that's not so bad. We can just ask them where we are, in that case. Problem solved."  
  
"Except that it still won't help us get back to the Institute, if we're in another dimension," said Amara. "And besides, if this is another dimension, then there's no telling what these people might be like. They may not be all that friendly; have you considered that?"  
  
"There was something about them that smelt odd," said Rahne. "They smelled like people, but there was something different about them. I canna quite lay a finger on it, though."  
  
"Well, we'll find out soon enough," said Bobby. "Let's just stay where we are, and wait for them to show up. Then I'll just ask them a few questions. It's as simple as that."  
  
The eight youngsters stood where they were, waiting. Snow continued to fall and many of them, including Jamie, began to shiver with the cold.  
  
"Say, Amara," said Jubilee. "Couldn't you warm things up a little for us?"  
  
"Well, yes," said Amara. "But I can't just make some more fire until we find out more about these people that Rahne smelt. If they don't like mutants, then we definitely don't want to use their powers around them."  
  
"I wish that it was a sunnier day," said Roberto, looking up glumly at the sky. "We should have come here in the summer. The sun would be a lot stronger then."  
  
"Well, it's too late to change that," said Rahne. "Besides, I think that those people that I smelled are almost here."  
  
All eight of them could now hear the approaching snorting of horses, coming from the west. And then, into the clearing, there rode a small group of horsemen.  
  
There were perhaps ten of them in all. They were all dressed in chainmail hauberks and conical helmets, looking as if they had just stepped out of a panel in the Bayeux Tapestry; they had round or kite-shaped shields slung on their arms, spears in their hands, swords at their belts, and heavy fur-lined cloaks. Their leader had a bright crimson plume upon his helmet.  
  
That medieval display would have been enough to startle the New Mutants, by itself. But what drew their attention even more was that there was something different about their build and features. They seemed a bit taller and thinner than an ordinary human, and their faces, while humanoid enough, had an odd cast to them, something that felt somehow "wrong", but which none of the New Mutants could describe. The closest that Bobby could come to was that their features had an overly delicate cast to them. They reminded him vaguely of "greys" in cheap science fiction movies.  
  
"Um, hi there," he said, overcoming his astonishment - this was most likely another dimension, after all; naturally, things would be different here - and holding up one hand to greet them in the inevitable parley style found in the movies. "Nice day, isn't it? We were wondering if you could -"  
  
The leader of the horsemen stared down at him and the others for a moment, sizing them up, apparently. Then he spoke. "Take them!"  
  
The knights spurred forward, all riding down upon the New Mutants, spears lowered and couched.  
  
"Okay, so they're not friendly," said Bobby, glancing at Amara in a "You don't have to say 'I told you so'" manner. "So let's just show them that they picked on the wrong bunch of kids!"  
  
As he spoke, he raised his hands, and shot out a solid wall of ice, a couple of feet in front of himself. The two horsemen closest to him had to rein in their mounts hurriedly, to avoid colliding with it.  
  
At the same time, the other New Mutants sprang into action. Amara, Jubilee, and Ray all "opened fire" on the riders galloping at them, sending fire, fireworks, and electricity respectively in front of their horses, which bolted, turning about and running wildly in the direction from which they had come. Rahne returned to her wolf-form, sprang at one knight, and knocked him out of his saddle, pinning him to the ground and growling. Sam propelled himself at another knight, ramming him off his horse. Roberto snatched up his spear and swung it at yet another of the horsemen, forcing him to take cover behind his shield.  
  
As for Jamie - as the youngest of the New Mutants, and the only one among them without any useful skills in a fight, he began to move back, carefully keeping the "older kids" between the mysterious riders and himself. One of the horsemen, however, managed to circle around the other youngsters, and charged straight at him. Jamie retreated faster, and accidentally stumbled over a tree root, hitting the ground hard and automatically producing a fresh batch of duplicates of himself.  
  
Astonished, the knight reined in his horse, and stared down at the small group of identical twelve-year-olds, although it was difficult to tell whether he was simply taken aback at seeing Jamie's ability, or attempting to work out which one of the boys was the real one, before he seized one. If it was the latter, however, he never had the opportunity to make the discovery and act upon it. Bobby turned around just in time to see Jamie's peril, and quickly shot a blast of ice at the horseman, sending him flying off his steed.  
  
"Okay," he said, preparing another ice attack. "Anyone want seconds?"  
  
The New Mutants' assailants, however, had had enough; they had clearly not been expecting this level of resistance. They broke free from the youths, mounted their horses, and quickly rode off, back the way that they had come.  
  
"Yes!" cried Bobby eagerly, as he and the others watched them go. "We beat them! We did it!"  
  
"But who were they, anyway?" asked Jubilee. "And what did they want with us?"  
  
"How should I know?" asked Bobby with a shrug. "What matters is that those Tolkien rejects are gonna think twice before bothering us again."  
  
"Well, I say that this has just provided us with yet another reason why we need to find a way out of this place, whatever it is," said Amara. "The locals are definitely not friendly. And we need to get out of this cold, too. We're not dressed warmly enough for this sort of weather. I am certainly not catching pneumonia on account of someone's tendency to poke his nose into things that are none of his business."  
  
Bobby gave her a dirty look at that last part, but said nothing. "Okay, then," he said. "Let's get going."  
  
The eight of them trudged off through the snow, shaking their trousers and shoes every so often to keep the snow from lodging itself too firmly. None of them said anything now, as they huddled together under the force of the wind.  
  
* * *  
  
It was a dejected and battered-looking troop of dark elf knights who rode slowly back into the clearing where Loki and the remaining dark elves were waiting. Loki casually banished the small sphere of light that he had been gazing intently into, and looked at the leader. "Ah, welcome back," he said, nodding cheerfully. "A battle well-fought, Heimir."  
  
"Well-fought?" said the dark elf knight in astonishment. "How can you say that, Laufeyson? They drove us off! A troop of us, the most puissant among the warriors of Svartalfheim, routed by little more than children, and children of Midgard at that!"  
  
"I know," said Loki. "I saw the entire battle from here. And I am very pleased with the results."  
  
"You must be jesting, Loki!" cried Heimir. "We return empty-handed -"  
  
"You were never actually supposed to capture them," said Loki. "That was not your errand. Rather, I merely wished you to put those younglings and their abilities to the test. I needed to find out what they could achieve in battle. And having seen all that, I find them all the more promising as allies."  
  
"What?" cried Heimir, his eyes flashing in astonishment and anger. "You sent us against those youngsters to be defeated by them, and did not even tell us that that was what you wanted?"  
  
Loki nodded. "I wanted you to believe that you were there to take them prisoner," he explained, in a very smooth and utterly unfazed tone of voice. "Thus your efforts would be more convincing, and would not appear feigned. Our young visitors had to believe that they were in a genuine life-or-death struggle, so that I could have a proper study of their abilities."  
  
"You truly are the Father of Lies, trickster," said Heimir in a wrathful tone of voice, the other dark elves nodding in assent. "Why are we even taking orders from you, if you betray and mislead us in this manner?"  
  
"Now, now, now," said Loki, in a mock-chiding tone of voice. "Just remember this, Heimir. You need my help to invade Asgard and crush the Aesir. Without my leadership, you'll attain nothing. And I hardly believe that you desire that, now, do you?"  
  
The dark elf scowled, but was silent for a while. At last he spoke. "What do you intend to do next?" he asked.  
  
"Well, the first step is complete," said Loki. "I now know the abilities, and their level of effectiveness, for all eight of those children. So I know what use I can put them to, and how I may deploy them. And now, we move on, to the second step." 


	4. Hospitality

4. HOSPITALITY.  
  
"Let's look on the bright side," said Roberto, in a too-cheerful tone of voice, as he and the other New Mutants trudged through the snow. "At least we're not stuck in a blizzard."  
  
"I know, but it's still cold enough as it is," said Jubilee. "At this rate, we're all likely to wind up looking like Bobby in his Iceman form."  
  
"I'm hungry," said Jamie, bringing up the rear. "Isn't there anything to eat around here?"  
  
"Sorry, Jamie," said Jubilee. "But considering the kind of welcome wagon that we ran into, I don't think that this place is likely to have that many Burger Bombs around."  
  
"Look!" cried Roberto, pointing ahead. "Smoke!"  
  
The others looked in the direction that he was pointing. A thin trail of white smoke arose from the trees, some ways ahead.  
  
"That smoke must mean that somebody's living up there," said Roberto. "Maybe we can ask them where we are."  
  
"Good idea, Roberto!" said Bobby eagerly. "And we can get out of this cold and get some proper food, while we're at it. Let's go!"  
  
"Wait!" cried Amara imperiously. Bobby halted, just as he was about to head off in the direction of the smoke, and turned around to look at her.  
  
"Wait?" he asked. "Amara, what do you mean?"  
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked. "Or are you too intent on filling your stomach to even think? The first people that we met here - in fact, the only people that we've met here so far - attacked us without provocation. How do we know that whoever's living in that house is friendly? This entire world may be inhabited exclusively by savage lunatics."  
  
"We don't know for certain," said Bobby. "Besides, we can handle it, even if it turns out to be more bad guys. We're the ones with the super-powers, remember?"  
  
Amara was about to argue further, but Sam spoke up. "I'm with Bobby on this one," he said. "I mean, we've got to find someplace with food and shelter just now. I don't feel too picky at the moment."  
  
"Same here," said Jubilee. "I don't want to be out in this cold longer than I can help it."  
  
The other youngsters agreed, all chiming in. Amara sighed.  
  
"Very well, Bobby," she said. "You win. But if we get into trouble -"  
  
"I know, I know," said Bobby. " 'Don't say that I didn't warn you.' You know, Amara, you're starting to get almost as annoying as Jean. Maybe you've been doing too much training with Miss Perfect lately."  
  
Some of the other young mutants giggled at that remark, but Amara only looked sharply at him. "For your sake, Bobby Drake," she said, "I will pretend that I did not hear that last remark. Well, let's be off, then."  
  
They trudged off again, this time heading in the direction of the smoke.  
  
The sun was creeping closer towards the western horizon when they entered the clearing from where the smoke arose. In the middle of the clearing stood a long house made of timber, with a thatched roof of straw. The smoke arose from the center of the roof, through a small opening in the thatch. A ragged-looking wooden fence circled the house.  
  
The New Mutants climbed over the fence, and made straight for the house. Bobby knocked loudly on the door.  
  
"Hey!" he called out. "Is anybody home?"  
  
There was silence for a few minutes, and then the sounds of footsteps slowly approaching the door. Then, it swung open, and an old man, leaning on a cane, stood there, gazing out at them. He was dressed in a long- sleeved tunic, breeches with criss-crossing thongs, and a heavy mantle pinned at one shoulder, with a fur cap on his head. His beard was long and grey, and looked mildly tangled and unkempt. He stared at them, blinking in astonishment.  
  
"Greetings, young travellers," he said at last, in a creaky, elderly- sounding voice. "It has been quite some time since anyone has come this way; you are the first guests that I have received in many a week now. Come in, come in. Warm yourselves by the fire. You should not be out so long in the cold."  
  
"Thank you, sir," said Bobby, as he and the other New Mutants crowded into the hall. "We hope that we're not being too much of an inconvenience to you, sir."  
  
"No, not at all," said the old man, nodding. "My name is Ivar Hakonson, and I am lord of this hall - if such a desolate place now can be said to have a lord. And who might you be, young wayfarers?"  
  
"My name's Bobby Drake," said Bobby. "My friends and I are - well, we're not from around these parts. In fact, we're lost."  
  
"I suppose that you must be from a very far-off land indeed," said Ivar, looking at them thoughtfully. "Your garb is certainly of a foreign make; I have never beheld the likes of it before." He closed the door behind them. "But come, sit down and partake of my hospitality. I could use the company - and you should certainly not be wandering about in a land troubled by the Reivers."  
  
"The Reivers?" asked Bobby. "Who are they?"  
  
"Seat yourselves first," said Ivar. "I will explain soon."  
  
The eight New Mutants looked about the hall. It was a fairly large place, though much smaller than Professor Xavier's mansion, and dimly lit; some light shone in through the smokehole, and there were a few pinewood torches mounted upon the walls, but no windows. In the center burned a small fire, of the sort that provided more smoke than light, enclosed within a small circular stone hearth. A long wooden table flanked by two wooden benches dominated the hall; at its far end was a high-backed chair, with a faded and tattered piece of embroidery behind it, showing a crudely-woven battle scene. Round shields, brightly painted, adorned the walls, each one having a pair of crossed swords or axes mounted behind it. Ivar was the only person in the hall, apart from themselves.  
  
"It looks decidedly primitive," muttered Amara in a low voice to the others. "In Nova Roma, we would have considered it fit as a dwelling-place only for barbarians."  
  
"Shh!" said Jubilee frantically. "Don't let him hear you say that!" She indicated Ivar, who was seating himself in the chair at the head of the table.  
  
The youngsters sat down on the benches, Bobby near the head so that he could continue speaking to Ivar. "So who are these Reivers?" he asked.  
  
"They are a cruel and brutal band of warriors," Ivar replied, "that serve a cruel tyrant known as Alfadur. At his orders, they ravage these lands, demanding heavy tribute from all who dwell here, and punishing them savagely if they cannot or will not pay. They also rob and waylay travellers, often bearing them back to Alfadur's castle to serve him as thralls." He sighed, a troubled look in his eyes. "They are everywhere these days."  
  
"I wonder if they're the guys that we ran into earlier," said Sam. "They were certainly unfriendly enough."  
  
"What do you speak of?" Ivar asked, puzzledly.  
  
"They were a bunch of men in armor riding horses," said Bobby. "They tried to kidnap us, but we beat them."  
  
"Those must indeed have been the Reivers, then," said Ivar. "They're the only warriors in these parts that you are likely to meet. You are most fortunate to have escaped them. How did you accomplish it? But, wait, I am forgetting my courtesy. You must be hungry and thirsty, to have come so long a way. It has been most remiss of me not to provide you with suitable fare."  
  
He stood up, and called out in a loud voice. "Ho, there! Food and drink for myself and my guests! And swiftly!"  
  
A couple of servants in tunics and breeches came out from a recess behind the tapestry, bearing platters of food in their hands. These they laid on the table, then went back to bring in plates, knives, and drinking-horns. These they laid out before each of the New Mutants.  
  
"Help yourselves," said Ivar.  
  
"Thanks," said Bobby eagerly, filling his plate.  
  
Amara looked over her tableware with a frown. "No forks, and no spoons," she muttered to Jubilee, who was seated next to her, in a low voice. "I do not wish to offend our host, but the accomodations are alarmingly primitive."  
  
"And this comes from the princess of the land that hasn't even discovered electricity yet," commented Jubilee cheerfully.  
  
"Don't judge Nova Roma as savage just because we lack your technological achievements," Amara retorted. "My father's palace is almost as elegant as the Institute. And our banquets are conducted in a much more civilized fashion."  
  
She glanced for a moment at Ray, who had picked up a piece of roast ox and was now enthusiastically devouring it with only his bare hands and teeth, and added, "Of course, the accomodations here may be more to the taste of some of our fellow students."  
  
The talk died down for a while, as the young guests continued to eat the meal before them, between quaffs of the goat's milk in their drinking- horns. After a few minutes, however, Bobby spoke up again.  
  
"So you've been having trouble with these Reivers, sir?" he asked.  
  
Ivar nodded. "All of us in this land have been having trouble with them," he said. "And their master Alfadur, as well. He is a harsh oppressor, and we groan beneath his tyranny. I have suffered much from him, in particular. I spoke out against his misrule, and he took away my children and imprisoned them, despite my protests."  
  
"Your children?" Bobby asked.  
  
"My two sons and my daughter," said Ivar. "All three of them now languish in durance vile. I have attempted more than once to rescue them, but failed each time. I fear that only by freeing this land from Alfadur can I save my family. And yet, even that seems beyond accomplishing."  
  
"He's that tough, then, is he?" asked Bobby.  
  
"Indeed," said Ivar. "He has a great host of fighting-men at his command, rendering him invincible in battle. Nor is that all. He is also a cunning and crafty sorcerer, skilled in the black arts. He has many guises, and can command the very elements to fell his foes. His ruthlessness is beyond belief. He even sacrificed one of his eyes, to gain the power that he wanted."  
  
"Eww," murmured Jubilee. Most of the other New Mutants, judging from the looks on their faces, clearly shared her response.  
  
"Maybe we can help," suggested Bobby.  
  
Ivar looked at him, lifting an eyebrow. "Your offer is generous, young sir," he said, "but I do not see how you can offer me or this land any assistance. You are little more than children, after all."  
  
"We're not just any children," said Bobby, rising from the bench and standing up on it in a dramatic pose. "We're members of the mighty X-Men!"  
  
"X-Men?" repeated Ivar, looking even more astonished. "I fear that I do not understand."  
  
Amara groaned. "I knew that he was going to do something like this," she muttered under her breath in disgust. "I just didn't expect him to be that stupid."  
  
"We're super-powered kids," said Bobby, raising one hand. "Take a look at this!"  
  
And with that, he shot a small blast of ice up at the ceiling, forming a cluster of icicles upon it. The icicles did not last very long, since the heat from the fire below quickly melted them, resulting in a small downpour of water below. Rahne and Roberto hurriedly moved out of its way in time.  
  
Ivar stared at him in astonishment. "How did you do that?" he asked. "Are you a wizard as well?"  
  
"Nah, I'm a mutant," said Bobby proudly. "And so are the rest of us. So just give us the chance, and we can -"  
  
"Bobby, a word with you, please," said Amara, standing up at once.  
  
"Later, Amara," he said. "Can't you see that I'm on a roll here?"  
  
"This is important!" she said. "You listen to what I have to say now, or when we get home, I am going to introduce you to a very different meaning of 'burning a CD', with your collection."  
  
Bobby sighed. "Excuse us a moment," he said, and followed Amara into a corner of the hall. The other New Mutants arose and followed them, while Ivar remained seated patiently in his chair.  
  
"What has gotten into you?" cried Amara. "First you give away our identities as mutants, and now you volunteer us for a war that we don't know a thing about, which is who knows how far away from Bayville!"  
  
"Come on, they don't know anything about mutants here," said Bobby. "And they won't be able to tell anyone back home about us, either. Besides, as X- Men, we should-"  
  
"We are not X-Men!" Amara almost shouted at him, barely restraining herself from grabbing him by the front of his shirt and shaking him. "Well, not full-fledged ones like Scott and Jean and the rest! We're still in basic training! The Professor hasn't even sent us out on a single mission yet!"  
  
"Then it's about time that all that changed," said Bobby. "Come on, aren't you all tired of having to stay behind at the mansion while the older kids get all the adventure? I mean, look at what they've done! They actually went out and whipped Magneto at Asteroid M! They helped the Professor take down Juggernaut! And that Houngan dude, and Sabretooth, and -"  
  
"And they're older than us, and more experienced," said Amara. "They've been training longer than we have. And even they don't get to go out on missions that often. I mean, they only got into that fight with Magneto because he'd kidnapped half the team!"  
  
"But aren't you all tired of always being left out of things, never getting to go on a mission?" Bobby argued.  
  
"I am," piped up Jamie. Ray and Jubilee quickly shushed him.  
  
"That doesn't make any difference," said Amara. "I don't think that we're ready for something on this scale yet. I don't think that the Professor would even let the big kids in on this one. I mean, this is overthrowing some sort of sorcerer-king here. Do you seriously think that we can pull it off?"  
  
"Besides," put in Rahne, "I dinna know about our host. I canna place a finger on it, but there's something aboot him that smells wrong to me. I'm nae certain that we can trust him."  
  
"Your wolf-sense is tingling, then, is it?" asked Bobby cheerfully. He paused, frowning. "No, that doesn't sound quite right," he said.  
  
None of the New Mutants saw Ivar rise quietly from his chair, and walk towards the curtained recess at the far end of the hall.  
  
* * *  
  
Ivar emerged from the hall, to stand before a small stone basin of water. He brushed some of the ice away that was floating upon the surface, and then gestured over it. At the same time, his form blurred, and began to shift into a different appearance.  
  
The grim and craggy face of Utgard-Loki appeared within the waters in the basin. "Well, Loki?" he asked. "What have you to report?"  
  
"Much," said Loki, having now returned completely to his true shape. "I have found us some potential allies in the war."  
  
"Allies?" Utgard-Loki asked. "Do they have anything to do with that portal that opened upon Midgard?"  
  
Loki nodded. "You'd scarcely believe what came through it," he said. "A group of young humans, gifted with unusual abilities. I'd almost call them youthful sorcerers, but they call themselves mutants, instead."  
  
"Mutants?" asked Utgard-Loki puzzledly, carefully pronouncing the word. "And just what manner of being might a mutant be?"  
  
"I know the answer to that one no more than you do," Loki answered. "I suppose that Midgard has changed even more than I had thought over the last thousand years. It was inevitable, I suppose - although I do wish now that I had paid more attention to events there. It simply struck me as less important once Odin turned his back upon that world and forbade the rest of the Aesir to intervene in events there."  
  
"So what are these young - mutants - doing here, at present?" Utgard-Loki asked.  
  
"Enjoying my hospitality, as my guests," Loki explained. "I have been endeavoring to lure them into our cause - particularly by supplying them with a - well, modified portrait of Odin. Their leader appears quite eager to assist us, as well."  
  
"I do not know," said Utgard-Loki. "We have never needed the help of mere striplings before, and especially ones sprung of human stock. Why should that change now?"  
  
"Because, even with Thor banished, the rest of the Aesir will still be formidable enough in battle," said Loki. "Granted, they are less of a problem with the Thunderer absent, but even so, they still pose something of a challenge to us. The more allies that we can bring to the war, the better."  
  
"Do you believe that you can bring these younglings over to our cause, then?" asked Utgard-Loki.  
  
"Who do you think you are talking to?" asked Loki, strutting slightly.  
  
"There are some whom even your glib tongue cannot sway, Laufeyson," said Utgard-Loki, not sounding entirely impressed. "Suppose that some of your guests are such folk? What then?"  
  
"Oh, there are ways to ensure their co-operation," said Loki airily. "Wait and see."  
  
* * *  
  
"I'm serious!" cried Rahne. "I say that we need to know more aboot our host, before we decide whether to hold with him or not."  
  
"And I say that you're being paranoid," said Bobby. "Look, the guy seems harmless enough. I don't think that he's trouble at all. Besides, if we help him out, he might even find some way of getting us back to the Institute."  
  
"He may not even have the slightest notion that the Institute exists," said Amara. "In any case, I still say that even if Ivar really is on the level, this is something that we're just not ready to handle. I mean, we're talking about a full-scale rebellion here! Even the older kids haven't done anything like this!"  
  
"Um, can't we put this argument off until tomorrow?" asked Roberto. "I mean, the sun's going down, and I'm ready to go down with it. We're probably going to be spending the night here, so we might as well get some shut-eye, and continue this talk in the morning."  
  
Bobby looked at the others. Jamie's head was already nodding, and most of the other New Mutants - who had had an even busier day than usual, between the trudge through the snow and the battle with the knights, providing them with much more strenuous action than the Danger Room sessions had ever done - were beginning to appear a little drowsy. At last, he spoke.  
  
"All right," he said. "Tomorrow, we decide what to do. But I still say that we should pitch in, and that's what I'm doing."  
  
Before any of the others could reply to that, Ivar re-entered the hall, leaning on his cane. "I suppose that you will spend the night here," he said. "The sun is setting, and nobody should be abroad after dark. The things that you encounter there - . At any rate, I ask of you that you sleep here tonight. And upon the morrow - well, we will decide what to do then."  
  
"Yes, we will," said Bobby, nodding. "And thanks."  
  
They laid down to sleep upon the benches, which served as rough beds. Ivar's servants had supplied them with thick fur-lined mantles, to use as blankets. The benches were somewhat harder than the mattresses back at the Institute, but after a while, the New Mutants managed to become more or less comfortable, and fell asleep, one by one.  
  
Ivar sat down in his chair, and watched them, an odd smile upon his face. When they were all fast asleep, he rose from his seat, quietly shifted back into Loki's form, and walked over to each sleeping mutant in turn. He gently laid a couple of fingers on each one's brow, held them there for a minute, then continued on to the next one, until he had visited all eight.  
  
"Fascinating," he said to himself, when he was done. "Truly fascinating. Who would have thought that the folk of Midgard would ever undergo such an intriguing alteration?" He smiled to himself. "Odin will rue the day that he forbade the Valkyries to bring any more humans to Valhalla to swell the ranks of his einherjar. With the powers that my recruits have, they could put even the finest heroes of the north to shame." 


	5. The Parting of the Ways

5. THE PARTING OF THE WAYS.  
  
Bobby stirred in his sleep, then awoke. He rubbed his eyes, wondering as he did so why his mattress felt so hard and stiff beneath him. Had Wolverine's occasional threat during Danger Room sessions finally been fulfilled, and living conditions become so spartan at the mansion that bed and board were now the same thing? Then he looked about them, at the wooden hall that he and the others were sleeping in, and remembered. It was all that he could do, though, to keep himself from crying out in shock.  
  
The others awoke, one by one, soon after that. There was no sign of Ivar about in the hall.  
  
"Where do you suppose he is?" asked Jubilee.  
  
"Maybe he gets his own bedroom," said Roberto. "I mean, he owns this place."  
  
"He probably gets a real bed, too," muttered Amara, with a pained expression on her face. "Even plebeians have better accomodations than this back home."  
  
"Good morning," said Ivar just then, entering the hall from the curtained recess at the far end. "I take it that you are all ready to break your fast?"  
  
"Well, I certainly am," said Roberto.  
  
"Same here," said Sam. The other New Mutants voiced their general assent to that.  
  
"And I'm still ready to help you out against this Alfadur dude," said Bobby. He ignored Amara's silent glower. "I don't know about the others, though."  
  
"Well, I'm interested," said Ray. "I want some proper action around here. I'm sick and tired of only getting to use my powers in training sessions. I want the real deal!"  
  
"I also like the idea," said Roberto. "So I'll stay and help out."  
  
"I cannot believe you three," said Amara, shaking her head in disgust. "What about the Professor, and everyone else back at the mansion? Shouldn't they have some say in all of this?"  
  
"Nah, Professor X'd simply tell us that we weren't ready for it yet," said Bobby. "He'd have the big kids do it instead, as usual. This could be the only shot we have at showing him what we're made of."  
  
"Showing him?" repeated Amara. "He isn't even here to see this! How will he know what we did?"  
  
"You can tell him when you get back to the mansion," said Bobby. "Just tell the Prof that I and Ray and Roberto are all fine, and we'll be back as soon as we can."  
  
Amara sighed. "Well, what about the rest of you?" she asked, looking at the remaining four New Mutants. "Are you also lunatic enough to involve yourselves in this enterprise?"  
  
"I'm not," said Rahne. "I'm holdin' with ya, Amara. I say that we need to be lookin' for a way back to the mansion."  
  
"Same here," said Sam. "Yeah, it'd be nice to have some real adventure for a change, but the others'll be out looking for us, wondering where we are. We really ought to let them know that we're fine - and that means getting back home as fast as we can."  
  
"Well, I'm staying with Bobby and the others," said Jubilee. "I'm tired of living in the older students' shadow. Especially after seeing the way that Kitty's been looking at me during training sessions. She's got this little look on her face, as if to say 'I've been on missions and you haven't.' Well, now I can finally keep up with her."  
  
Amara sighed. "Well, four fools, and three sensible folk," she said. "And what about you, Jamie?" she asked, turning to the youngest of the New Mutants. "Which are you?"  
  
"Well..." began Jamie, then hesitated. He looked back and forth, first at Bobby, then at Amara, then back at Bobby.  
  
"Actually, you might as well stay with Amara and the others," said Bobby. "I mean, what can you do to help us out, Multiple? Seriously? I don't think that there's going to be that much demand for a small army of 12-year-olds here."  
  
Jamie sighed. "I'll go with you," he said to Amara, a downcast look on his face.  
  
"Well, I'm glad to see that you haven't taken leave of your senses," said Amara. "So that's settled, then. You and your friends can stay here like the reckless fools you are," she said to Bobby, "while I and the others go looking for some way of getting back into the laboratory."  
  
"Well, maybe you're right about that," said Bobby, after thinking it over for a bit. "After all, somebody's got to get back to the mansion and set things up so that we can go home when we're done here. It's a dull job, but somebody's got to do it."  
  
"Thank you," said Amara stiffly.  
  
"I shall provide you with some food for your journey," said Ivar. "You younglings will need it to sustain you, when you depart from my hall."  
  
"Thanks, Mr. Hakonson," said Sam. "That's really nice of you - but won't that be something of a problem for you? I mean, wouldn't those Reivers have stolen a lot of it from you already?"  
  
"I have managed to keep Alfadur's tribute gatherers at bay so far," said Ivar. "It has not been easy, true, but they have not carried off even a crust of bread or sliver of meat, nor one drop of mead, from my home. So I have enough to spare. I will have my servants set aside some for you, to bear upon your travels."  
  
"That's very kind of you," said Amara.  
  
"I will have the servants prepare the morning meal for you," said Ivar, walking back towards the curtained recess. "Wait you here while I attend to that."  
  
***  
  
Loki, still in Ivar's form this time, watched as his servitors (really a pair of dark elves in human guise) prepared the morning's breakfast. Four small packs were already lying upon the snow by his feet, which he looked down at with an approving smile.  
  
There was a sudden shimmering in the air, and Heimir appeared behind him. Loki spun about at once, managing only barely to preserve his disguise.  
  
"Never do that again, Heimir!" he almost shouted, barely managing to keep his voice level. "Give me some sort of warning before you arrive!"  
  
"I am deeply sorry," said Heimir, in a stiff and not especially apologetic tone of voice. "How goes it with the younglings, Laufeyson? That we are anxious to know."  
  
"Four of them are willing to help," said Loki. "The young ice wizard is chief among them; so is the youth known as Berzerker - a name which I certainly consider a good omen for us - the girl called Jubilee, and the youth named Sunspot. The last one bears particular promise. After all, his powers come from the radiance of the sun itself. That should more than offset the unfortunate effect that her light has upon the trolls - and even your own folk, to a certain extent."  
  
"That also means that we will not be able to attack the sun and quench its light until after we have no further use for that human boy," said Heimir, not sounding too pleased with the prospect.  
  
"True," said Loki, with a shrug. "I will simply have to send a message to Skoll, telling him to be patient and restrain himself from his attempts at overtaking the sun and devouring her. But then again, he's been pursuing his intended prey for many thousands of years; he can wait a while longer."  
  
"And what of the other four?" Heimir asked. "I take it that they have refused."  
  
"Yes," said Loki. "But I do not see any great trouble there. Not when your own race have such an interesting method of persuading them." He glanced down at the four packs of provisions. "And thank you for supplying me with it, as well."  
  
"And it had better not fail," said Heimir grimly.  
  
"It has never failed yet," said Loki. "Tell the others not to worry. We will have our champions from Midgard, all ready to do our bidding. Just you wait."  
  
Heimir nodded in silence, and vanished. Loki picked up one of the packs, and stroked it gently, murmuring to himself, "Now, how does it go again? Ah, yes. 'Eat, drink, and be merry; for tomorrow, your humanity shall die.'"  
  
***  
  
After breakfast, the eight young mutants were gathered by the gate to the yard surrounding Ivar's hall, in two separate groups. Roberto, Ray, and Jubilee stood by Bobby, to the left of the gate, and Rahne, Sam, and Jamie stood by Amara to the right.  
  
While all eight of them still wore their ordinary clothes from Bayville, Ivar had given each one after the meal a warm fur-lined cloak, pinned at the shoulder with a small brooch. They looked decidedly incongruous, thrown over modern-day shirts and jeans, but at least they kept some of the cold out.  
  
"So you four are still going through with this?" asked Amara, to Bobby and his companions. From the way that she spoke, it sounded as though she had already concluded that they were going to do just that, and that there was no point in arguing with them over it any further.  
  
Bobby nodded. "And I suppose that it's the same way with you," he added.  
  
"Indeed it is," said Amara, a trifle stiffly.  
  
"Well, then, best wishes to you," said Bobby. "Once we're done here, we'll see if we can catch up with you if you're still here - or get back to the lab if you've already found a way of getting there."  
  
"I should hope so," said Amara.  
  
Ivar rode up at that point, mounted on a grey horse. Four other horses, all saddled and ready to ride, followed behind him.  
  
"Are you all prepared, then?" he asked, looking down at Bobby and his friends. "Good. Mount up, then. We have a long journey ahead of us, and it will be better to travel on horseback than on foot."  
  
"Hey!" said Jamie. "They get horses, and we don't?"  
  
"It does make sense," said Amara. "We wouldn't be able to take them with us, and I don't think that it would be particularly feasible to send them back once we do find a place where we can return to the mansion."  
  
"I prefer walking, myself," added Rahne.  
  
"Well, then we're off," said Bobby, mounting up. "See you later, guys!"  
  
After some hurried good-byes exchanged between the two groups of New Mutants, they parted ways. Ivar led Bobby and his team off, all riding, towards the north. Amara, Sam, Rahne, and Jamie walked off eastwards, cloaks pulled about them and packs on their backs.  
  
A few minutes after both groups of the New Mutants had disappeared over the horizon, the hall and the fence around it shimmered, and faded away. Nothing was left to mark the spot where they had stood but open snow-covered ground. 


	6. The Ambush

6. THE AMBUSH.  
  
It was close to noon when Amara and her team halted in a clearing in the woods. They had been trudging through the forest all that morning, and so far, nothing out of the ordinary had taken place. Except, that is, that Rahne occasionally would stop and sniff the air, in a troubled sort of way, although she did not mention to the others what was worrying her so.  
  
"So just what are we looking for?" asked Sam.  
  
"I don't know," said Amara, frowning. "That's part of the problem. When we first got pulled into this - whatever and wherever it is - there was no sign of the laboratory on the other side. Forge's portal must have shut down just after we were pulled through. Either that, or else it only works one way."  
  
"Maybe we could go back to where we first came in," said Sam. "If Forge found out about what happened and got it working again, then maybe the portal will have opened back up again there."  
  
"But we don't know for certain that that's the case," said Amara. "What if they haven't started it up again? Don't forget, also, that they won't even know what happened to us. None of the grown-ups or the older kids were there when we got pulled in, remember? I mean, they'll probably figure it out when they notice that we're missing - assuming that they don't think that we decided to run away and join the Brotherhood like Tabitha or something like that - but it could take a while before they're sure of it. And also, we don't know what condition Forge's machine wound up in, after what Bobby did to it."  
  
"Not to mention what ye did to it," muttered Rahne in a low voice. Fortunately, Amara did not overhear her, but continued speaking.  
  
"So, for all that we know, it might be in serious need of repairs, and take quite a while to fix. And I don't think that we can just stand around waiting, certainly not outside in a place like this."  
  
"So what are we going to do, then?" Sam asked.  
  
"There's got to be people in this place besides those knights who attacked us yesterday and Ivar," said Amara. "Maybe one of them will be able to help us."  
  
"I don't know about that," said Sam doubtfully. "Remember what Ivar told us last night? This whole place has been taken over by that Alfadur guy that those knights were working for. Nearly everybody around here probably works for him - unless they're in the resistance movement like Ivar. In which case, we should have joined Bobby and the others."  
  
"I dinna know aboot that," said Rahne. "I still say that there was something aboot our host that I didna like - or at least, that my nose didna like. All that we know aboot this place is what he told us; we've nae more than his word for it. What if he was lying to us?"  
  
"Well, we can worry about that later," said Amara, sitting down on a rock. "Just now, I could do with a little lunch. I'm feeling pretty hollow inside."  
  
She opened her pack and pulled out a roll, which she bit into. Sam and Jamie were just about to sit down and open their provisions packs as well, when Rahne spoke. She had been sniffing the air increasingly uneasily, ever since Amara had opened her foodbag, and now she spoke, in an almost frantic tone of voice.  
  
"No! Don't eat it! Don't eat any of it!"  
  
"What are you talking about, Rahne?" Sam asked.  
  
"The food," said Rahne. "It smells wrong. I canna tell just what the matter with it is, but it smells - tainted."  
  
"You're sure of that?" said Jamie.  
  
"My nose has nae deceived me yet," said the young Scottish mutant in an almost defiant tone of voice. "This food is bad."  
  
"Spoiled, you mean?" asked Sam. "Or poisoned?"  
  
"No, it's something else," said Rahne. "I've never smelt it before, so I dinna know exactly what it is, but it does nae smell the way it ought to. Somebody has done something to it."  
  
Sam and Jamie quickly dropped their as yet unopened foodpacks, while Amara lowered the roll in her hand, looking at it uncomfortably. "You're not serious are you, Rahne?" she asked.  
  
"I mean it," said Rahne. "I knew that there was something wrong wi' our host. Don't any o' ye eat any o' it."  
  
"It's a little too late there," said Amara, in a worried tone of voice. "At least, as far as I'm concerned. I've already started." She stood up, then suddenly staggered, and sat down hurriedly again, looking dizzy. The other three youngsters stared at her in alarm.  
  
Sam and Rahne rushed to her side at once, while Jamie watched with widening eyes. "How do you feel?" Sam asked her.  
  
"Very strange, actually," said Amara, clutching her forehead. Her eyes were becoming unfocused, and there was an odd lilt in her voice. "Not actually ill so much as - well, different." Then she lost her balance, and fell over on one side into the snow.  
  
"Amara!" cried Sam, grabbing hold of her and shaking her. "Snap out of it!" When she made no move, he turned to Rahne. "What are we going to do now? We're miles away from a hospital."  
  
"That's nae our only problem," said Rahne, sniffing the air uncomfortably. "We've company!"  
  
From out of the trees rode a small body of knights, looking like the same ones that they had fought yesterday. They spurred forward, heading for the four young mutants. "Take them all!" shouted their leader. "But especially her!" He pointed to a now unconscious Amara, lying prone upon the ground.  
  
Rahne shifted into her wolf-form again, and stood before Amara, growling. Sam and Jamie joined her. "If you want her, come and get her!" Sam shouted.  
  
"That we have every intent to do," answered the chief knight. With that, he spurred his horse straight for them, at a swift gallop. So speedily did it charge at them that before Rahne and Sam quite knew it, they had been shoved out of its path forcibly, Rahne landing in the snow to the right, Sam to the left, next to Jamie. The knight bent down over Amara and lifted her up into the saddle.  
  
Sam hurled himself at the Nova Roman princess's abductor, but another horseman intercepted his attack, only to be knocked out of the saddle, allowing Sam to take his place upon the horse. Rahne was surrounded by a few cautious-looking riders, snarling at them. Jamie ran up to Sam, two more knights after him, and Sam hauled him up onto his horse. With Jamie clinging frantically behind him, he rode straight at the ring of knights besetting Rahne, pell-mell.  
  
The horsemen scattered at his approach, but some turned their mounts about, and charged at the Kentucky youth. A few others made for Rahne again, driving her into the woods and following her into their depths.  
  
"I think that there are too many of them," said Sam worriedly, as the knights headed straight for him. "We'll have to get out of here."  
  
"But what about the others?" asked Jamie. "I mean, they've got Amara -"  
  
"I know, and the way things are going now, we won't be able to rescue her on our own," said Sam. "We'll have to find help." And with that, he turned his horse around, and rode off, Jamie still hanging on behind him. More of the knights followed him, but a few lingered around their leader. He sat on his horse in the center of the clearing, looking down at his still- unconscious prisoner.  
  
* * *  
  
"We only have one of them," said one of the knights in disappointment and even disgust. "The other three escaped."  
  
"Not for long, Vilmeid," said Heimir. "We have the werewolf and the two lads in pursuit; they cannot hope to elude us for long. And at least this one is ours now. A pity that the werewolf's keen nose alerted the others to the food that we supplied Loki with for their provisions. But no matter. At least our faerie-food has claimed one victim."  
  
Amara murmured something inaudible, before falling into a deeper state of unconsciousness. Her ears were slowly becoming larger and pointed at the tips, while her face began to shift shape, becoming more angular.  
  
"Soon, this maid of Muspelheim will be one of us," said Heimir, smiling approvingly. 


	7. Recruits

7. RECRUITS.  
  
  
  
"Will it be much further?" Jubilee asked. "I don't think that my backside can take much more of this."  
  
  
  
The four New Mutants had been riding behind Ivar all that morning, ever since they had left Ivar's hall. Already, all four of them were beginning to feel more than a little sore in the rear. Ivar, however, did not appear at all troubled.  
  
  
  
"Come, now!" he said. "If I did not know better, I would be under the impression that you've never ridden a horse at all, my child!"  
  
  
  
"Well, we haven't," said Jubilee. "Back where we come from, we have cars instead."  
  
  
  
"Cars?" asked Ivar, sounding puzzled. "What do you mean by that word? I've certainly never heard it before."  
  
  
  
"They're kind of like wagons, without horses," said Bobby. "And they're much more comfortable than this."  
  
  
  
"Wagons without horses?" said Ivar. "How do they go, without horses to pull them? Unless they are drawn by oxen instead."  
  
  
  
"No, no oxen either," said Bobby. "They've got gasoline instead. It's - well, it's - just something that they pour inside to make the cars work."  
  
  
  
"Some sort of magical elixir, then?" asked Ivar, sounding more and more astounded all the while. "Your homeland must indeed be a place of wonders, if that is the case."  
  
  
  
"No, it's not magic either," said Bobby. In a lower voice, he muttered to the other New Mutants, "Anybody who knows more about what makes cars run than I do - now's a really good opportunity to speak up."  
  
  
  
"At any rate," Ivar continued, "to answer your original question - no, we do not have much further to go. We should reach our destination before sunset."  
  
  
  
"And just where is it, anyway?" Roberto asked.  
  
  
  
"It's a place of assembly," Ivar explained, "where those who, like me, have tired of Alfadur's tyranny have gathered, to seek a way of toppling him from his throne and freeing this land from his misrule. Once we are there, we can prepare our forces to move against him at last."  
  
  
  
He looked up at the sky. "It is close to noon by now," he said thoughtfully. "We should stop and rest ourselves for a while, and have a bite to eat. How do you feel about that, my young friends?"  
  
  
  
"Good idea!" said Jubilee eagerly.  
  
  
  
"I'll say!" agreed Bobby. "I'd like to get off this horse before I wind up permanently bow-legged."  
  
  
  
"There is a clearing up ahead," said Ivar. "We can dismount there, and take a brief rest before continuing on our way."  
  
  
  
With much eager and approving chatter from the New Mutants behind him, he rode on, they following. After a couple more minutes, the trees thinned out around them, and they entered a wide clearing. Some blades of grass poked up through the snow, and a few rocks and fallen trees lay at the edge of the glade.  
  
  
  
Ivar halted his horse and dismounted; the New Mutants followed suit. While the horses began to graze on what grass they could find, the travellers sat down, opened their food-packs, and began to eat.  
  
  
  
They were about halfway through their meal when Ivar, with a thoughtful look on his face, began looking through the pouch at his belt. At last, he pulled out a small tablet, and placed it on his lap, gazing down intently at it.  
  
  
  
"What's that?" asked Bobby.  
  
  
  
"This, my young friend," said Ivar, "is an object relating to a custom that we have in these parts. When a group of warriors enlist in an enterprise such as the one that we are embarked upon, it is traditional for them to make their marks upon an object such as this one, to demonstrate their loyalty and their commitment to the adventure that they have chosen, and to their comrades in arms. Thus they bind themselves to it all the more effectively."  
  
  
  
"And you want us to sign it?" asked Ray.  
  
  
  
"It would certainly not be amiss for you to do so," said Ivar. "It would serve as a token of your agreement to fight alongside us, in the coming war of liberation."  
  
  
  
"Then I'll do it," said Bobby. He searched his pockets. "Although I don't have any pens on me. Not even a pencil."  
  
  
  
"Take this," said Ivar, taking out a small knife from his belt and handing it to Bobby, alongside the tablet. "Make your mark with it, then pass it on to your friends."  
  
  
  
"Okay," said Bobby. He began to scratch out his name with the knife on the tablet. It took a while, but he finally completed it, and passed it on to Jubilee. She in turn, once she had finished with her signature, passed it on to Roberto, and from him it went to Ray.  
  
  
  
Ivar nodded approvingly as all four youngsters performed the deed. None of them saw an overly eager gleam in his eye that formed briefly as he watched.  
  
  
  
"We're done," said Bobby, taking the tablet back from Ray and presenting it to Ivar. "It's all yours."  
  
  
  
"Thank you, my friend," said Ivar, nodding. "This means a great deal to me." He tucked the tablet away in his belt pouch. "So, let us eat now, and ride on afterwards. And if all goes well, we should -"  
  
  
  
He suddenly pricked up his ears, listening, then frowned. "Wait you here," he said, rising from his place.  
  
  
  
"Is anything wrong?" asked Roberto.  
  
  
  
"I thought that I heard something out amid the trees," said Ivar. "It may be nothing of importance to us, but it may also be some of Alfadur's Reivers riding close by. I will go and see what it is. None of you leave this place, until I return."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
With that, he moved off into the trees, proceeding in the cautious fashion of a scout. And he continued thus until he was out of sight from the clearing, and then gestured with one hand. A spherical glow appeared in the palm of his hand, and in the middle of it, a face.  
  
  
  
"Be more careful, Heimir," muttered Loki in a low voice, looking about him this way and that, to make certain that none of the youngsters had indeed followed him. "Remember, the time is not yet ready to reveal my true face to our new allies. Your summons almost betrayed it to them."  
  
  
  
Heimir nodded stiffly. "I will be more careful in the future," he said.  
  
  
  
"Well, what tidings have you?" asked Loki. "Did you capture the others?"  
  
  
  
"Only one of them," said Heimir. "The girl who can transform herself into a fire demon like Surtur's people. She was the only one who partook of our food. The others grew suspicious, and did not eat. My knights attempted to capture them, but they have so far eluded us."  
  
  
  
"But you are still pursuing them, are you not?" asked Loki.  
  
  
  
Heimir nodded. "Indeed we are," he said. "But we may need some fresh help from you, Loki. The werewolf has fled in the direction of Jarnvith, and if she reaches it, we cannot follow her there."  
  
  
  
"I will inform Utgard-Loki of it," said Loki. "He can probably spare a few of his folk to take up the hunt if she enters the Iron Wood. And the two boys?"  
  
  
  
"Also being pursued," said Heimir. "And their course is not taking them towards Jarnvith. Hopefully we will soon be able to overtake them."  
  
  
  
"Good," said Loki. "Do so. But at least you have the fire-maiden. And she has been changed?"  
  
  
  
"Indeed, my lord," said Heimir. "She has become one of our kind now. I will show you."  
  
  
  
The vision within Loki's sphere of light changed from Heimir's visage to Amara's. The girl now had the angular, stylized features of a dark elf, with long pointed ears. Her eyes were closed, and she was still clearly unconscious.  
  
  
  
"Excellent," said Loki. "Just take care to keep her away from Utgard. I would rather that my charges not learn her fate just yet. It could make them too difficult to handle, too early."  
  
  
  
"And how are you proceeding on that matter?" Heimir inquired.  
  
  
  
"It goes well," Loki replied. "I persuaded them to sign the contract. They are bound to us now."  
  
  
  
"Indeed?" asked Heimir.  
  
  
  
"They cannot desert us even if they wished," said Loki. "Although I will see to it that they do not discover enough about us to develop that desire - at least, not for a good long time. It will save us some trouble, after all."  
  
  
  
"I certainly hope so," said Heimir. "But in the meantime, they are your charges, not mine."  
  
  
  
"Naturally," said Loki. "I will have words with you again, later." And with that, before the dark elf could reply, he twitched his fingers slightly, and the sphere in his hand winked out.  
  
  
  
Loki nodded approvingly, and turned around, to make his way back to where the New Mutants were waiting.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
They were mounted again, and riding on their way once more through the woods. The sun had passed its highest point in the sky, and now began to sink westwards. Afternoon drew on, and the shadows of the trees lengthened. Soon, the sky began to grow dark above.  
  
  
  
"Are we almost there yet?" Jubilee asked. "We've been riding for hours, and I really don't want to have to camp out here tonight."  
  
  
  
"You need not worry," said Ivar. "We are indeed, as you put it, almost there."  
  
  
  
"And just what is this 'there' place, anyway?" asked Roberto. "You've never said anything about it."  
  
  
  
Ivar nodded. "It's a surprise," he said, an odd smile playing upon his face.  
  
  
  
Before any of them could ask him what he meant by that, they emerged from the trees, and brought their horses to a halt. All four New Mutants stared in awe at the sight that dominated the vast clearing.  
  
  
  
A great castle loomed in the twilight before them. Its walls rose much higher than those of an ordinary castle, soaring upwards to such an extent that Bobby almost got a crick in his neck just by trying to look at the highest battlements and turrets. But its proportions, more suited for giants than for humans, were not the only thing that amazed them. For the walls were made, not from stone, but a glittering ice. It looked, in fact, like an ice sculpture of a castle, but much more solid and durable.  
  
  
  
"What is this place?" Bobby asked.  
  
  
  
"Utgard," Ivar replied. "This is where we who desire to overthrow Alfadur have assembled, to gather our forces and march upon him. And here is where you will remain, until we are ready to begin the war. So, come along, if you please. We must not tarry."  
  
  
  
With that, he rode forward up to the gates, and as he did so, raised to his lips a great horn hanging from his horse's saddle. This he blew a mighty blast upon. At once, the castle gates swung outwards, grinding upon their hinges, revealing the entrance to the courtyard. Ivar rode through them, followed by the four New Mutants, who stared in amazement at the courtyard's contents.  
  
  
  
Apart from themselves and Ivar, they appeared to be the only humans in the place. Most of the people in the yard were giants, clad in furs and hides, and bearing swords and spears that looked like gargantuan icicles shaped into weapons. Others were short and stocky folk, also dressed in animal hides, with coarse-featured bearded faces, looking almost like the popular image of a Neanderthal, only shorter; many of them, in fact, bore what looked like cows' tails, hanging from their rear ends. The people in the gathering closest to humans in appearance and size were a group of dark-clad folk with pointed ears, who looked very much like the knights that had attacked the mutants the day before; some wore armor of the sort that the knights had, while others wore elegant-looking tunics, breeches, and mantles, with silver chains about their necks and rings upon their fingers, looking much like medieval courtiers.  
  
  
  
"Who are these people?" Roberto asked.  
  
  
  
"Our compatriots in the war to come," said Loki. "Frost giants, trolls, and dark elves, all ready to join with us in the overthrowing of Alfadur."  
  
  
  
"Trolls?" asked Jubilee. "Dark elves? That really doesn't sound very pleasant."  
  
  
  
"Those guys look a lot like the ones who attacked us yesterday," said Bobby, studying the dark elves. "Those people that you called Reivers."  
  
  
  
Ivar nodded. "Alfadur has drawn many of his knights from the ranks of the dark elves," he said. "But not all of them bend their knees to him and call him master. Some fight upon our side."  
  
  
  
"I don't know," said Bobby, frowning. "Something doesn't feel right here."  
  
  
  
"I'll say!" said Ray, glowering at Ivar. "What's going on here, anyway? Speak up, now!" And with that, he shot a blast of electricity at Ivar, before Bobby or anyone else could stop him.  
  
  
  
The electric bolt whistled towards Ivar - then halted abruptly only a few inches from him, and fizzled out. The New Mutants, especially Ray, stared in utter disbelief at the results, blinking. Ray lifted up his hand and looked at it. "What happened?" he asked. "Did I blow a fuse or something?"  
  
  
  
"Hardly that," said Ivar, sliding off his horse with a triumphant smile upon his face. "Rather, I would say that the contract that I had you sign has proven a success. Just as I had intended."  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Bobby, as he and the others looked at their guide sharply. "What's this all about? What's really going on here?"  
  
  
  
"Ah, yes, I believe that the time for masks is over," said Ivar. He raised his hand, and his form blurred and shifted. Within moments, he had become a dark-haired young man clad in yellow and green clothing, with a decidedly sly smirk upon his face. "My true name is not Ivar Hakonson," he said to them. "Rather, it is Loki Laufeyson, the grand architect of the alliance that will depose Odin All-Father from his throne at last."  
  
  
  
"Loki?" repeated Bobby, blinking. "Odin?"  
  
  
  
"Does anyone else have the feeling that we've been had?" asked Roberto, equally uneasily.  
  
  
  
"Exactly," said Loki, smiling wickedly. "The four of you have agreed, by signing my contract, to aid me in my war upon Asgard and its people. You have no doubt already beheld one of the results of your act. Your mutant powers have now been magically bound, in such a way so that you cannot use them against myself or my allies here. Your deed has pledged you to our cause."  
  
  
  
"All right, so how do we go about unsigning?" asked Jubilee.  
  
  
  
"You cannot," said Loki, still smiling. "You are bound to us, henceforth and forever, until I decide to release you - and I have no intention of doing so as yet. You are far too useful to me, after all."  
  
  
  
"So what are you going to do to us?" asked Bobby. He tried to speak those words in a bold and defiant tone of voice, the way that Scott or Wolverine would have said them, but they did not quite come out the way that he had hoped. Probably, he decided, it was the awareness that, if what Loki had said was the truth - and in light of what had happened when Ray had attempted to zap him, it probably was - then he wouldn't be able to let out an ice blast upon him, to back those words up if he had to.  
  
  
  
"And what about the others?" Roberto asked. "Like Rahne and Amara and the rest? I don't suppose that you just decided to let them go, either."  
  
  
  
"That is hardly your concern at this point," said Loki. "Your concern is helping me and my associates here assault the walls of Asgard. So you will be training here until our forces are fully marshalled and ready to march forth. And then you will be taking part in the siege with us, and help us to victory."  
  
  
  
"And then what?" asked Ray. "What'll you do with us after that?"  
  
  
  
"Well, I might let you return to Midgard," said Loki, in a musing tone of voice, "once we have deposed Odin and installed a worthier ruler over the Aesir in his place." The look upon his face made it clear enough to them just who he had in mind for that "worthier ruler". "Mind you, we will probably be invading Midgard after that. You can always serve as our heralds, warning the humans of our coming - for all the good that that will do them."  
  
  
  
"You're going to take over Earth?" cried Jubilee, aghast. The other youngsters had equally horrified expressions upon their faces.  
  
  
  
"Of course," said Loki. "I can scarcely rule over all nine worlds without it. I prefer the - what is the right phrase? - complete set.  
  
  
  
"But that is enough talk for now." He waved to a couple of trolls. "You two!" he called to them. "Show our new recruits to their quarters, and make haste!"  
  
  
  
The trolls nodded, and motioned for the New Mutants to follow them, with a couple of grunts.  
  
  
  
"Might as well do what he says," said Bobby, with a sigh. He and the others walked behind the trolls, moving off towards a small group of huts in one corner of the courtyard.  
  
  
  
"All right, so what have we gotten ourselves into?" asked Jubilee.  
  
  
  
"I don't really know," said Bobby. "I don't know that much about Norse mythology, but I remember something about Loki. He was supposed to be this real trouble-maker who was always scheming against the other gods and plotting to overthrow them. And it looks like we're in his army now."  
  
  
  
"Way to go, Iceman!" said Ray sharply. "Who're you going to sign us up for next? Magneto? Mystique?"  
  
  
  
"Hey, how was I to know that he was really Loki in disguise?" Bobby protested. "Besides, you didn't see through him any more than I did."  
  
  
  
"So how are we going to get out of here?" asked Jubilee. "Got any plans, Bobby?"  
  
  
  
"Maybe," said Bobby. "Give me some time, and I'll think of something."  
  
  
  
"I just hope that the others are all right out there," said Roberto concernedly. "Heaven only knows how they're doing." 


	8. Nidavellir

8. NIDAVELLIR.  
  
  
  
The horse carrying both Sam and Jamie sped on through the woods, with a small troop of dark elf knights still pursuing it. Jamie clung frantically to Sam's back, his eyes closed tight. Actually, because of how often he was jostled against both Sam and the horse, quite often it was a small number of Jamies clutching hold of the older mutant boy.  
  
  
  
At last, he managed to develop the courage to open his eyes, turn around, and look back. "Sam!" he cried in alarm. "They're catching up with us! What're we going to do?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know," Sam replied. "But I think that we'll have to leave the horse."  
  
  
  
"What?" cried Jamie, incredulously. "But we can't outrun them on foot!"  
  
  
  
"And the horse can't outrace theirs with this many people on top of it," said Sam. "Face it, Jamie, you're way too good at overburdening it every time that you jiggle against something."  
  
  
  
"I know!" cried Jamie. "But I can't do anything about it! It just - happens!"  
  
  
  
"I know," said Sam, nodding. "Don't worry, though. I've got an idea."  
  
  
  
The horse was already beginning to tire beneath them, while the dark elf knights were drawing closer. They were beginning to hem them in, preparing to surround them. "Now for it!" cried Sam. "Hold on tight, Jamie!"  
  
  
  
With that, he jumped off the horse, onto a nearby rock. Jamie clung tightly to him, his eyes shut even tighter.  
  
  
  
The dark elf horsemen spurred forward, swords drawn, preparing to surround the two boys. "Take them!" shouted the leader.  
  
  
  
"See you later!" called Sam back to them. And with that, he launched himself straight off the rock with a mighty leap, Jamie still holding onto him. He shot forward through the ranks of the dark elves before them, who scattered in astonishment and alarm before Sam's impetus, as surely as if he had been a literal cannon ball. Jamie let out a loud, long-drawn-out cry as they rushed past their would-be captors, somewhere between a "Yiiiiii!" and a "Wheeee!"  
  
  
  
The dark elves halted, and stared after them in silence, too taken aback for the moment by Sam's feat to continue. At last one of them spoke.  
  
  
  
"So what do we do now, Edric?"  
  
  
  
"This does not bode well for us," said the leader of the dark elves, frowning. "I know these parts well. The dwarf-lands are close at hand. If those two find sanctuary in Nidavellir -"  
  
  
  
"Then we must see to it that they do not, in that case," said the first dark elf.  
  
  
  
"Indeed," said Edric. He galloped forward, the other knights following.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Jamie at last dared to open his eyes and stare ahead. Sam was still rushing forward, propelled by his mutant ability. They were out of the woods now, and hurtling straight towards a high stone cliff, that stood stark and bare before them.  
  
  
  
"Sam!" he screamed. "Cliff!"  
  
  
  
"What?" cried Sam, having not quite heard him.  
  
  
  
"Cliff!" screamed Jamie. "Stop, Sam!"  
  
  
  
But it was too late. Jamie closed his eyes as Sam rammed into the rock wall before them. Fortunately, he was protected by the small force field that also protected the Kentucky youth, and thus escaped injury. The cliff itself was not quite so fortunate.  
  
  
  
Jamie opened his eyes, after being almost deafened by the loud crash made by Sam being propelled through the wall, just in time to hit the ground with Sam in a loud thud. Sam picked himself up, to notice several Jamies scattered about him, all looking equally dazed and bewildered. The multitude of young mutants then looked about them.  
  
  
  
They were in what looked like a great subterranean chamber, with a high, arched roof. A few lanterns hung upon the walls, shedding an eerie blue light. Straight ahead, a wood-framed tunnel led out of sight, into shadows.  
  
  
  
"What is this place?" a Jamie asked.  
  
  
  
"It looks like a room in a mine," said Sam, looking about him.  
  
  
  
"You're sure?" Jamie asked.  
  
  
  
"Kid, I come from a family of coal miners," said Sam. "I know a mine when I see one."  
  
  
  
"And what business have you in our domain, surface-dwellers?" asked a harsh voice from behind them.  
  
  
  
Sam and Jamie (by now, just one Jamie again) spun around at once, and stared in disbelief at the sight now before them. A small group of short, stocky men, only slightly taller than Jamie, was standing at the mouth of the tunnel, staring suspiciously at the two boys. They wore chainmail shirts, heavy earth-colored breeches, and thick visored-helmets, which covered the upper parts of their faces. They had long beards, reaching their belts, and bore sharp-looking battle-axes and round wooden shields in their hands.  
  
  
  
"Um, hi," said Sam. "We hope that you don't mind us intruding. We were just -"  
  
  
  
"Are you responsible for that?" asked the leader of the dwarves (for such they clearly were). He pointed at the gaping hole in the wall.  
  
  
  
"Uh, yes, actually," said Sam. "Sorry about that. It's just that we -"  
  
  
  
"You have much to answer for," said the dwarf grimly. "Trespassing in our lands, and bringing damage to them. And what led you to perform these acts? You have come to despoil us of our wealth, as likely as not."  
  
  
  
"No, no, we haven't," said Sam at once. "We didn't even know that you guys were living here when we came here."  
  
  
  
"That will do," said the dwarf. "You will come with us, both of you. King Eitri will decide what is to be done with you."  
  
  
  
He turned to his followers. "Skafith, Aurvang, tell the stonewrights about the damage that these intruders have caused. We must have that hole repaired before any of our foes learn of this. Nyrath, Rathsvith, keep guard at the breach. See that no one enters Nidavellir by it before we can have it sealed up. The rest of you shall escort our prisoners with me to the king."  
  
  
  
The dwarves crowded around Sam and Jamie, and nudged them. Sam sighed, and held up his hands in the traditional gesture of surrender, Jamie following suit. "Okay, you guys," he said. "You win. We're coming."  
  
  
  
Their captors surrounding them on all sides, they walked down the tunnel, without a further word.  
  
  
  
The tunnel sloped downwards, dim and shadowy, lit only by an occasional lantern hanging upon a bracket on the wall. The footsteps of the two boys and their guards struck the ground, echoing dully. Far ahead, the sound of distant tapping reached their ears, tapping from a multitude of hammers and picks.  
  
  
  
After a couple of minutes, Jamie tried breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Um, any of you guys feel like a song?" he asked. And without waiting for a reply, he broke into a rendition of "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho." The dwarves simply stared at him, however, in a stiff, disapproving silence. Jamie broke off the song hurriedly, and turned to Sam. "I thought that they'd go for it."  
  
  
  
"I don't think that these are the kind of dwarves that know anything about Snow White," said Sam.  
  
  
  
"What do you think they're gonna do to us?" asked Jamie, sounding very nervous now.  
  
  
  
"I don't know," said Sam. "Other than what they said about taking us to their king. I'll try talking to him, though, explain to him why we're here. Maybe he can help us. I mean, he's got to be a reasonable kind of guy."  
  
  
  
The dwarf captain turned and glanced sharply at them. He said nothing, but his meaning was clear enough. Both boys quickly fell silent, and said nothing further.  
  
  
  
They proceeded on down the tunnel, until it widened out before them. Suddenly, they found themselves walking down a broad stone-paved avenue, through what appeared to be nothing less than an underground city, within an enormous cavern. Great shafts were sunk high up in the walls and the vaulted ceiling overhead, admitting air, while the avenue was lined periodically with blue-lit lanterns atop high poles, providing illumination, if of a dim and rather spooky-looking kind. Squat stone houses, with intricate carvings on the walls, lined the avenue on both sides.  
  
  
  
And there were people looking out at the dwarves and their prisoners from the doors and windows of the houses. More dwarves, short and stocky of build. Most of them were women and children, although there were a few male dwarves as well. All of them were staring at Sam and Jamie as they walked past.  
  
  
  
"What manner of prisoners have you, Ginnar?" asked one dwarf, to the captain.  
  
  
  
"A couple of strangers from the surface," replied the captain. "We are bringing them to the king, so that he may decide what is to be done with them."  
  
  
  
"They look like Midgard-folk," said the dwarf thoughtfully. "At least, like the Midgard-folk that the legends tell of. But what has brought them to Nidavellir?"  
  
  
  
"I do not know, Onar," answered Ginnar. "But no doubt the king will learn the answer to that question. We are taking them to meet him. Onward!" he added, gesturing to the dwarves behind him to nudge Sam and Jamie on their way, when they started to linger.  
  
  
  
They continued on, through the dwarf-city. The road gradually began to climb, until it reached a pair of double doors set in a great wall. Two dwarves in chainmail, bearing great axes and shields, stood at the gates, one on each side, as door-wards. Ginnar strode up to them and spoke.  
  
  
  
"Ginnar Bivarsson," he said, in a commanding voice. "I wish to speak with King Eitri. I have two prisoners to present to him."  
  
  
  
The guards nodded, and one of them struck upon the doors with the shaft of his axe. At once, the doors swung open, and Ginnar and his followers led Sam and Jamie inside.  
  
  
  
They entered a great hall, its vaulted ceiling arching high over their heads. At the far end was a dais, upon which an old dwarf, dressed in dark red robes and wearing a crown, sat upon a golden throne. His white beard fell past his belt and was plaited. More dwarf guards stood about him, stiff and at attention, as well as a few dwarves in more civilian garb, presumably courtiers. One of them, bearing a small white wand in his hand, strode towards Ginnar, descending from the dais to meet him.  
  
  
  
"Who are these strange folk, Ginnar?" he asked. "And what has led you to bring them into our king's presence?"  
  
  
  
"These two youths broke into one of the northwest chambers, Hlevang," said Ginnar. "They appear to be Midgarders."  
  
  
  
"Midgarders?" said Hlevang, looking indeed astonished. "It's been almost a thousand years since we had any dealings with Midgarders! Not since Odin All-Father forbade the Aesir to interfere with humans any further, indeed! What brought them hither?"  
  
  
  
"We do not know, as yet," said Ginnar. "But we deemed it best to present them to the king."  
  
  
  
"As you wish," said Hlevang. He stepped to one side, while Ginnar and his guards nudged Sam and Jamie forward. The dwarves bowed low before the king, motioning to the boys to do the same. Sam and Jamie hurriedly joined them in their obeisances.  
  
  
  
"Hail, King Eitri!" said Ginnar, rising again. "We bring before you two intruders, both Midgard-folk!"  
  
  
  
King Eitri gazed down at the boys. "Midgard-folk, eh?" he said, a look of keen interest in his eyes. "Well, that is something new indeed. As Hlevang my chancellor here has said, it has been a thousand years since any of your kind have been seen in these parts. Tell me, what are your names, and what do you here?"  
  
  
  
"My name's Sam Guthrie," said Sam.  
  
  
  
"Your Highness," prompted Ginnar sharply,  
  
  
  
"Sorry," said Sam, quickly. "Your Highness. And this is Jamie Madrox. And we didn't mean to intrude, really. It's just that we were being chased by these crazy knights, and we had to find some place to hide from them. And I'm afraid that we accidentally smashed through one of your walls while getting away from them."  
  
  
  
"You were pursued by knights?" asked the king. "Describe these knights, young Midgarder."  
  
  
  
"Well, they were all on horses, and wearing armor," said Sam. "And they had these weird faces. Kind of long and angular, like aliens."  
  
  
  
"Dark elves," said King Eitri, frowning. "None of those marauders from Svartalfheim have come anywhere near Nidavellir for over a hundred years. But it seems that the truce with them is at an end now. That does not bode well for us. But why were they pursuing you two?"  
  
  
  
"We don't know," said Sam. "But that's just what they were doing. They kidnapped a friend of ours, too."  
  
  
  
"Another Midgarder?" the dwarf king asked.  
  
  
  
Sam nodded. "Her name's Amara," he said. "She's not really all that bad, either - once you get past the snootiness. She's a princess, after all - and she's not likely to let us forget it."  
  
  
  
"I see," said King Eitri. "Perhaps we should hear this story from the beginning."  
  
  
  
"All right," said Sam. "Well, it all began when Bobby wanted to find out just what Forge and the Professor were up to in the laboratory -"  
  
  
  
"I do not understand," said the king. "Who are these other folk that you speak of?"  
  
  
  
"I guess that this is gonna take a lot longer than I was expecting," said Sam, in a lower voice to Jamie.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Some minutes later, Sam had finished giving his account to the king and his court about the New Mutants' adventures after passing through Forge's portal and how, in particular, he and Jamie had come to Nidavellir. It had taken some time to unfold, since the dwarves had asked him several questions, particularly about the world on the other side of the portal. "It would appear, from what you have told us, that Midgard has changed greatly since last we heard any tidings from it," Eitri had commented.  
  
  
  
When Sam at last concluded his tale, the king spoke. "Your story is a strange one," he commented. "But one thing I can tell. I very much suspect that this Ivar Hakonson has been leading you astray. The two of you were wise not to accompany him - although it seems that many of your companions were less perceptive."  
  
  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Sam. "How do you know - Your Highness?" he added, as he saw more than one of the dwarves eyeing him sharply.  
  
  
  
"You say that he spoke of these lands being ruled by a cruel and unjust tyrant named Alfadur," said King Eitri. "And that is a falsehood. For, while Nidavellir does owe homage, ultimately, to he whom Ivar named Alfadur, he is no tyrant. Nor does he hold sway over much of the surface world in these parts. Rather, it is the giants who rule above. You had wandered into their realm of Jotunheim before coming here. It always was an uncomfortable neighbor to us."  
  
  
  
"And those guys who were after us weren't working for Alfadur, either?" Sam asked.  
  
  
  
"Far from it," said King Eitri. "The dark elves are his enemies, in fact. And his true name is not Alfadur, anyway - although some call him that - but Odin, King of Asgard and ruler over the Aesir."  
  
  
  
"Odin?" asked Sam. "You mean, the Odin? The head of the Norse gods?"  
  
  
  
"I see that you still remember him in Midgard," said Eitri, nodding.  
  
  
  
"Well, kind of," said Sam. "But we thought that he was just a myth, and nothing more than that. Does this mean that we're going to run into the other Norse gods while we're here? Like Thor?"  
  
  
  
Eitri shook his head. "If you had hopes of encountering the Thunderer, then you must abandon them," he said. "Odin has banished Thor from Asgard - the news has reached us even here. In fact, he has been sent to Midgard - or so the rumors have it - to live there as one of your kind. He's not likely to be returning soon.  
  
  
  
"But since Ivar lied to you concerning Odin, it is clear enough that he is one of Odin's enemies. And his identity seems more than likely. I am only surmising now, but I would not be greatly surprised if Ivar's true identity was that of Loki."  
  
  
  
"Loki?" repeated Sam.  
  
  
  
"Aye," said King Eitri, grimly. "Loki Laufeyson, the master trickster and Father of Lies. He's long sown discord and havoc wherever he goes, bringing nothing but trouble for the Aesir. Even we in Nidavellir know him. My brother Brokk once bested him in a wager, at the time that I forged Thor's hammer, and it was my people who fashioned the chain that now holds his son the Fenris-wolf in check. The last that we heard, he had left Asgard, and now, it seems, he is plotting something against Odin. Almost certainly, those of your friends whom he had recruited have been lured into his cause. He may well intend to use them to wage war upon the Aesir themselves."  
  
  
  
"So what can we do about it?" Sam asked.  
  
  
  
"Very little, I fear," said Eitri. "My people are smiths, miners, craftsmen, but not - for the most part - warriors. Our skill lies in forging weapons, not in wielding them. Oh, we have some ability to defend our halls, if need be, but our might is not equal to take on Loki and his hosts. It seems clear from your tale that he has allied himself with the dark elves, and I would not be greatly surprised if the frost giants and the trolls have not also rallied to his banner. We cannot fight against them all."  
  
  
  
"Well, do you know anybody who can?" asked Sam.  
  
  
  
"Odin and his people in Asgard can," said Eitri. "But Thor was their greatest warrior, and with him gone, their defenses have been weakened. They can withstand an assault upon their walls, but I doubt that they could make a successful counter-attack. And doing so would be dangerous - it could lead to the prophesied Ragnarok, in fact. Although that dark hour is not likely to take place during Thor's exile."  
  
  
  
"Well, never mind defeating Loki for now," said Sam. "What can we do about my friends?"  
  
  
  
"Very little, I fear," said King Eitri. "If we had some way of sending word to the Aesir - but they always come to us, rather than we to them. And unless one of them decides to visit us soon, we have no way of alerting them."  
  
  
  
"What about Rahne?" asked Jamie. "I mean, we got separated from her. Could you help us find her?"  
  
  
  
"That depends," said King Eitri. "Which direction did she flee in, when the dark elves attacked you?"  
  
  
  
"Off east, I think," said Sam. "Though it's hard to tell, without a compass."  
  
  
  
"The forest of Jarnvith lies in those parts," said Eitri. "If she reaches it, then she will at least be safe from the dark elves there. They dare not enter the Iron Wood. Iron is poison to all elves, light and dark alike."  
  
  
  
"So she'll be all right?" asked Jamie.  
  
  
  
"I am not so certain," said the dwarf king. "The dark elves cannot enter Jarnvith, but that same stricture does not apply to the giants or the trolls. Loki could send some of them into the Iron Wood after her. But that is not all. Jarnvith is a haunt of wolves. Wolves that exceed the wolves that you would know in Midgard almost as surely as the Aesir exceed your race. The very wolves that pursue the sun and moon constantly in the heavens sprang from their kind."  
  
  
  
"Well, she'll be okay with them, won't she?" asked Jamie, sounding relieved. "I mean, she can turn into a wolf."  
  
  
  
"For her sake, I hope that they would welcome her then," said King Eitri. "But I do not know. We have had no dealings with the wolves of Jarnvith; they are unchancy beasts. For all that I know, they would welcome her with fang and claw."  
  
  
  
He sighed. "Well, in the meantime, we must attend to your case," he went on. "You did intrude upon our home, but it appears that you did so without intending harm to us. And you are clearly in peril from Loki, whom we have no reason to love. So we shall treat you as guests rather than prisoners - at least for now. But in light of your tidings, we have much to discuss."  
  
  
  
He arose and addressed the other dwarves in the hall. "Let send to all the clan leaders in Nidavellir, and bid them assemble in the council chamber two hours from now. Then we shall decide what course to take concerning these new events." 


	9. The Iron Forest

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is dedicated to all Rahne fans who lamented her off-stage departure in "Mainstream".  
  
All dialogue within asterisk marks represents wolf-speech.  
  
9. THE IRON FOREST.  
  
Rahne ran on all fours, still in wolf-form, through the trees. Behind her, she could still hear the knights pursuing her, hallooing to each other on horseback. In spite of all her efforts, she had not managed to shake them off.  
  
"Come on, Rahne," she said to herself, or at least, the wolfish equivalent of those words. "Ya have to think o' something! There's got to be some way o' losin' them!"  
  
Rational thought was generally harder in her wolf-form than it was when she was in her human form, but she still could manage it, with enough concentration. Outrunning them was out of the question. A wolf could outrun a human, perhaps, but not a horse, and the knights remained mounted; the forest had not grown thick enough as yet to force them to go on foot. And although she was well enough ahead of them still, they could clearly see her, so hiding was not yet a solution either. And as for fighting, she was outnumbered.  
  
"The only thing to do is to keep on running," she thought. "Until I get a better idea."  
  
They were beginning to narrow in on her, however. The distance between her and the knights was decreasing. In a few more minutes, they would overtake her, and then - .  
  
She jumped over a fallen tree trunk that lay directly in her path, clearing it nimbly, then suddenly halted and sniffed the air. The trees around her had taken on a different smell, all of a sudden. The odor was no longer the familiar one of bark and leaves that all normal trees bore, but a metallic aroma. Their coloring and shape seemed different, as well; they were a dull grey rather than brown, and stood in strange angular shapes. She trotted over to the nearest tree and felt it with a forepaw. It felt like metal, rather than like tree bark.  
  
She heard fresh cries behind her, and remembered her pursuers. She turned around, in time to see the knights halt just in front of the fallen tree. They reined in their horses, and sat there, not proceeding any further. All that they did was stare at her.  
  
Rahne scarcely knew what to make of it. Why were the knights not drawing closer? There was nothing to stop them from so doing, after all; they could easily leap over the tree just as she had done. So why weren't they?  
  
On second thought, she decided not to give it any more consideration for now. What was important was that they had halted, and now seemed powerless to continue pursuing her. It was time for her to take advantage of the situation. She turned and rushed off, deeper into the odd metallic forest.  
  
* * *  
  
"She has entered the Iron Forest!" cried the leader of the dark elf knights, a disgusted, frustrated look upon his face. "Now she is beyond our reach!"  
  
"So what do we do now, Hrothmar?" asked another of the dark elves.  
  
"The only thing that we can do," Hrothmar replied. "We must inform Heimir of what has transpired."  
  
He snapped his fingers, and a globe of light formed before him. Heimir's face appeared in the middle of it. "Well, Hrothmar?" he asked. "How fares it with you?"  
  
"It fares ill, my lord," said Hrothmar. "The young werewolf has fled into the Iron Forest. We cannot pursue her any further."  
  
"Do not worry," said Heimir. "I have had words with Loki, and he has addressed this matter. If all has gone well, some of Utgard-Loki's folk should be on their way here now. Iron is not a problem for the frost giants, as it is for us."  
  
"So they will take her?" asked Hrothmar eagerly.  
  
Heimir nodded. "In the meantime, return to our camp," he said. "You will be needed for other matters."  
  
Hrothmar nodded. "Then we are on our way, my lord," he said. He dispelled the globe, and turned to his followers.  
  
"Well, what wait you here for?" he asked. "Let us be gone. Heimir wants us back in his camp."  
  
The dark elves turned and rode away from the Iron Forest.  
  
* * *  
  
Now that she was no longer being pursued, Rahne could slow down, make her way more leisurely through the forest - though not without glancing back over her shoulder every now and then, to make certain that the chase had not been resumed.  
  
However, she soon forgot - or almost forgot - about the knights, in her increasing bewilderment with this wood. Even given all the strange things that she had already beheld since first being sucked through the portal of Forge's machine, even after her own familiarity with strangeness in the form of her own mutant ability, and those of her fellow students at the Institute, she still found the notion of a forest made up of iron trees absolutely bizarre. Was it really possible? Trees made out of iron?  
  
She pawed at the ground, clearing the snow away from it and then sniffing it, to see if it might contain an answer to this mystery. But it felt like ordinary earth and soil, if cold and hard underfoot, and smelt like it as well. There was no sign of any life in it, burrowing and crawling things like earthworms or grubs or insects of any sort, but that could have been more due to the general wintry weather than to any unusual property of this place.  
  
"Very strange," she thought to herself. "I dinna know what to make o' it."  
  
She considered shifting back to her human form, but decided against it. She wasn't certain as to what she might find lurking about in this place, and if she did run into anything unpleasant, she would be better able to deal with it as a wolf than as a human teenager. Instead, she continued on forward, on all fours, though continuing to sniff the air every now and then.  
  
It was some time later (just how long, she was not certain) that she picked up a fresh scent, coming some ways from her right. She sniffed at it intently. It smelled like a wolf, and a wolf drawing closer, at that. Rahne halted, wondering what to do now.  
  
Would she be safe in her wolf form? Perhaps, but there were at least some wolves, she had heard and read, who were hostile towards outsiders, any wolf not part of their pack. For all that she knew, it might respond this way towards her. On the other hand, she was better prepared for running or fighting in her wolf body than in her human body, and in her present plight, it was more than likely that she would have to perform either of these activities. In the end, she decided to stay a wolf, and wait to see what happened.  
  
She could hear now the sound of something approaching, through the undergrowth to her right. And then, a large grey wolf came into view, walking towards her. It halted, seeing her, and stared at her. And then, it spoke.  
  
To be precise, Rahne was not certain that she could call it speaking. It was not quite speaking as a human would do. But it sounded like speech to her, at least, as she in her wolf's body understood it.  
  
*Greetings, young one,* it said to her. *You are new to these parts.*  
  
*Yes,* she replied, realizing only after she replied that she was speaking to him in the same way that he had done to her. *I suppose that I am. Do you live here?*  
  
*Yes,* he replied. *The Iron Forest has long been my hunting grounds, and that of my folk. Ever since we were first birthed. But you - you are not of our family.*  
  
Rahne shook her head. *No, I'm from - somewhere else.* She wasn't certain that it was a good idea, as yet, to let him know that she wasn't really a wolf but a human mutant who could become one - and as for telling him that she was from another world. Maybe later, once she'd gotten to know him better and could decide whether it was safe or not to tell him.  
  
*We do not often receive wayfarers from far off, here in the Iron Forest,* said the wolf. *But whoever you are, you are welcome here. My name is Hrimhari.*  
  
*My name's Rahne,* she replied. *Rahne Sinclair.*  
  
*That is an odd name for a wolf to bear,* Hrimhari replied. *But then again, you said that you came from a distant land, and perhaps matters are different for your family there.*  
  
*They certainly are,* she replied.  
  
*So why did you leave your homeland, and come here?*, he asked her. *Surely you did not undertake such a journey lightly.*  
  
*Well, it's difficult to explain,* said Rahne. She hesitated, uncertain as to what to say next. How could she tell him about Forge's invention, and the way in which it had so dramatically miscarried? *I was - separated from my homeland,* she began at last.  
  
*Separated?*, he inquired. *How did that come about? Did two-legs kill your family there?*  
  
*No,* she replied. *Actually, some of my family came with me. But - well, we got separated. I was being chased by some two-legs on horseback, and lost the others. They pursued me all the way here, but they wouldn't come into this forest. I don't know why.*  
  
*Were they of the svart alfar, perchance?*, Hrimhari said. *If they were, that would explain much.*  
  
*The svart alfar?*, asked Rahne. *What are they?*  
  
*They are a family of the two-legs,* the wolf answered. *But of them, we know little, for they have never entered the Iron Forest before. They fear it.*  
  
*Why?*, she asked.  
  
*Iron is poison to the svart alfar,* he answered. *And this forest is filled with iron. It prevents them from passing beneath its eaves.*  
  
*Yes, I had noticed that this wood was different from others that I've been in,* Rahne said. *Why is that?*  
  
*We do not know,* Hrimhari replied. *None of my family know; nor, from what I can tell, do the two-legs. There are those among us who believe that our grandmother was responsible for it, but we have no proof for it.*  
  
*Your grandmother?* Rahne asked. *How did she do that?*  
  
*We do not know,* said Hrimhari. *We know little of her, indeed. She retreated to her den many seasons ago, more than we can count, and we have never dared disturb her there. She prefers her privacy, and we respect that. But - * He halted, and pricked up his ears, listening. *They are coming,* he said, a note of astonishment, and alarm, creeping into his voice.  
  
*Who are?* asked Rahne. But even as she spoke, she could hear the noise that Hrimhari had mentioned. Distant footsteps in the west, but drawing closer. And as they grew louder, the earth began to tremble underfoot.  
  
*The jotnar,* said Hrimhari. *The largest of the two-legs. But they have not been here for many seasons. They would only come here -*  
  
*I'm sorry,* said Rahne. *They must be after me. They've probably got something to do with the people who were chasing me earlier.*  
  
*I cannot help but find this most strange,* commented Hrimhari. *Why are the two-legs pursuing you? They hunt our kind, yes, but generally they do not go to such trouble as they are doing now. It would seem almost as though they have singled you out for some particular attention.*  
  
*I don't know any more than you do,* said Rahne. *But, the jotnar - they can enter this forest, can't they?*  
  
*I fear so,* Hrimhari replied. *They have no problems with iron, as the svart alfar do. Which means that we must find somewhere to hide from them, before they reach this place. Follow me.*  
  
He loped off between the trees. Rahne followed him, without another word. The thunderous footsteps were growing closer now, and the ground was trembling harder. Then, a loud bellow echoed through the woods.  
  
*That's the jotnar, isn't it?*, Rahne asked. *They're that big?*  
  
*Yes, they are,* said Hrimhari. *The other two-legs call them giants, and justly so. For they are indeed of great height; most of them can match the trees for tallness.*  
  
*So how do we escape them?*, she continued. *I mean, if they're that big, won't they be able to catch up with us easily?*  
  
*Great size is not always an advantage,* he answered. *You will see what I mean, soon enough.*  
  
They raced through the woods, as the footfalls and bellows grew louder behind them. *This way,* called Hrimhari, darting towards a large clump of rocks to the right. *Follow me.*  
  
They rounded the rocks, to find an opening in their side, leading down into what appeared to be a large burrow. It tunneled down into the earth. *In here,* said Hrimhari, gesturing to it with one forepaw.  
  
Rahne lost no time in plunging into the burrow. Hrimhari proceeded to brush his great tail back and forth across their tracks, wiping the ground clean with them, then followed her in. *Stay here, and make no sound,* he instructed her. *Not until they are gone.*  
  
Rahne lay down upon the earth, as he had told her. The footsteps drew closer now, and soon were so close that their source must be only yards away. She watched as one pair after another of great feet, clad in furry boots, thundered past, while rumbling voices called out to each other overhead, in something incomprehensible. Her eyes widened as she tried to calculate the sheer size of the owners of those feet. People just couldn't possibly be that big. Not even in an impossible world such as this one.  
  
She scarcely dared breathe as the giants - for that was what they surely had to be - strode past her. At last, however, they were all gone, and their footsteps grew fainter and fainter, receding into the distance. Hrimhari pricked up his ears and listened intently, then nodded. *We are safe,* he said to her. *They are out of hearing range by now, I would judge.*  
  
*I'm glad to hear that,* said Rahne. *So those two-legs were really giants?*  
  
*Yes,* he said. *Do not fear, though. I believe that we are safe from them now.*  
  
*That's a relief,* she said. *So is it safe to come out now?*  
  
*Yes,* he said. *Follow me.*  
  
He scrambled up out of the tunnel, and into the open air. Rahne was close behind him. They stood above ground, looking all about them, both sniffing the air warily.  
  
*We should remain alert, in case they return,* Hrimhari said to her. *But for now, I believe that we should be on our way. So, tell me, where are the others of your family? Are they still alive?*  
  
*I hope so,* Rahne replied. She wondered whether it was safe yet to tell him that her friends weren't wolves but "two-legs", and that she was really a "two-legs" herself that could merely turn into a wolf at will because she was a mutant. She didn't think that Hrimhari would be alarmed at her being a mutant - wolves were less likely to suffer from anti-mutant prejudice, after all - but he might have a less favorable view of humans, if he had been hunted by them in the past, as his words had implied. I'd better give him more time to get to know me first, she thought.  
  
*Which direction did you enter the woods from?*, he asked her. *If I knew that, perhaps I could help you find your lost kinfolk.*  
  
*Perhaps,* she said. *Though I don't even know where to start looking for them. I don't know where they are now, although I'm certain that they're not in these woods.*  
  
*And what were they like?* Hrimhari inquired.  
  
Rahne mentally uttered a mild Gaelic curse as she realized that now she would have to face the question of what to tell him about her friends. There could be no more stalling. She'd have to tell him something, now. After a brief period of wrestling with the problem, she finally decided that there was only one thing for it. She would have to tell him the truth.  
  
*Actually, they were two-legs,* she said.  
  
Hrimhari stared at her. *You run with the two-legs?*, he asked her, in an absolutely baffled tone of voice. *But - why would you do that? The two- legs fear us and hunt us. Or at least, they hunt our kind, though seldom have they dared venture within the Iron Forest. Why would you make them your family?*  
  
*Because, actually, I'm one of them myself,* she replied. *Here, I'll show you.* And with that, she shifted back briefly into her human form, and then back into her wolf form. *See?*  
  
Hrimhari stared at her all the more astonishedly, although with no trace of fear or panic in his eyes. *I had heard of such things,* he said. *Two-legs who can take on our shape, through magical arts. Are you one of them?*  
  
*Well, kind of,* she replied. *But for me, it isn't magic. I'm a mutant. I was born this way, and can turn into a wolf and back again whenever I want to.*  
  
*And those others in your family,* Hrimhari continued, *do they also share this gift?*  
  
*No,* said Rahne. *They've got their own gifts, but they can't turn into wolves. I'm the only one with that ability.*  
  
*This is most strange,* said Hrimhari. *It will take some time for me to know quite what to make of this. But, no matter. If you and your family are being hunted by the svart alfar and the jotnar, then you are indeed in grave peril. You will need all the help that you can find, to escape them.*  
  
*So can you help?* asked Rahne. *And will you?*  
  
*You and your tale are most strange to me,* he said. *But, yes, I will. Even if you are of the two-legs by birth, the fact that you can assume our form makes you enough one of my kind that I cannot turn aside from or abandon you. Now, come, tell me more of your missing kinfolk, and how you were parted from them. Then I can decide in what manner I may assist you in your search for them.*  
  
*Well, there were four of us,* Rahne began. *Amara, Sam, and Jamie. And we....* 


	10. War Councils

10. WAR COUNCILS.  
  
Loki stood before the large tapestry-map that had been hung upon the wall of the council chamber, a long pointer-stick in his hand. He coughed slightly, to bring the crowd assembled in the room to attention.  
  
"Ahem!" he said. "Is everyone who should be here present?"  
  
The various giants, trolls, and dark elves in the room all nodded, their clamoring now over. Four not-particularly-enthusiastic-looking young humans in the front row also nodded, in silence.  
  
"Very good," said Loki. "Now, then, much of what I am going to state here, a great many of you are already familiar with. But, for the benefit of those of you in the audience who are newcomers-" - he glanced at the New Mutants as he spoke - "- I will be engaged in a considerable amount of explaining. I request that those who do know this material be patient with me, while I bring our most recent recruits up to date."  
  
He tapped a portion of the tapestry-map with his stick. "Here is Utgard, where we are now," he said. "And here," he continued, tapping another portion of the map, not too far away, "is the starting-point of Bifrost, the rainbow bridge leading to Asgard. It is the chief avenue to Asgard and the home of the Aesir. It is also the least ideal route of attack, thanks to two reasons. First, the red portion of the rainbow bridge is actually fire so intense as to keep the frost giants at bay. If we had the help of Surtur and his people, we could solve that particular problem, but at present, we do not, so we must find another means of dealing with it.  
  
"The larger reason why Bifrost makes such a poor road for us to take in order to assault Asgard is Heimdall, the watchman of the Aesir. He stands at the other end of Bifrost, a tireless, ever-faithful sentinel, never once deserting his post or letting his gaze wander." He gave a yawn at that point. "In other words, a very boring fellow - and also an extreme nuisance to us, not only because of his eternal vigilance, but because of his skill. His gaze is so keen that not even a flea could approach Bifrost without his being aware of it, and his ears are so sharp that he can hear the grass grow. We can never take him by surprise - and believe me, I have made the attempt before, and failed." His eyes flickered resentfully, before he continued.  
  
"So we must choose a different way in which to approach Asgard than by Bifrost," he said. "That is the reason why all of your past assaults upon Asgard have failed; Bifrost is impregnable. The only way to lay siege to Odin's citadel is to reach its walls by another path."  
  
He looked over the faces of his audience, and nodded. "Yes, you," he said. "The dark elf in the third row. What do you have to say?"  
  
"With all due respect, Loki," said the dark elf, "there is no other means of reaching Asgard. We all know that. Bifrost is the only entrance to it."  
  
"A popular conception, my friend," said Loki, smiling. "Popular, but utterly inaccurate. There is another means of access, although far less well-known."  
  
"Then name it, Loki!" said King Geiroddur of the trolls. "You have kept us waiting long enough!"  
  
"Patience is a virtue that you trolls have yet to achieve, I see," said Loki, glancing in his direction. "But, no matter. Now, there is a second way to reach the walls of Asgard, though one that many of you have not heard of. On the side of Asgard opposite the great gates, to which Bifrost leads, there rolls the great river Kerlaugar. It is a constant churning torrent, half water, half cloud, that separates Asgard from the rest of the world. Odin has few guards posted there, and none that are Heimdall's equal in ability. It is here that we must come up to the citadel's walls."  
  
"The river Kerlaugar, Loki?" cried Utgard-Loki in astonishment. "Have you entirely taken leave of your senses, trickster?"  
  
"Ah, so you know of it, then," said Loki, looking in his direction and nodding approvingly.  
  
"Aye, that I do," said Utgard-Loki. "And one thing that I know concerning it is that Odin knows what he does when he leaves that way unguarded. That river's current is so strong that none of us could ever cross it. Only Thor is able to wade through it and withstand its force. The rest of us cannot."  
  
"True," said Loki. "So this is my plan. We freeze the river solid. Then we can walk across it, straight for the walls of Asgard."  
  
"And how are we to do that?" asked one of Utgard-Loki's captains. "Odin has warded that river against us. Neither our magic nor our chill breath can freeze the Kerlaugar, not as long as it remains under his protection. That is why we cannot pass over that river."  
  
"Again, true," said Loki, nodding. "Odin's arts have rendered the Kerlaugar proof against the might of the frost giants. But only the frost giants. He neglected to protect that river against humans. And we have in our midst the very human who can take full advantage of that mistake on Odin's part. Master Bobby Drake, if you would care to demonstrate?"  
  
Bobby reluctantly stood up, and pointed one hand at the window. A sheet of ice shot out from his finger-tips, extending all the way to the window- sill.  
  
"Thank you," said Loki, in an off-hand manner. He turned back to face the rest of the assembly. "You see?" he said. "We have our means of crossing that river."  
  
"That boy only produced a small shaft of ice," said King Geirrodur of the trolls. "To cross the Kerlaugar, we will need more than that. Much more." The rest of the crowd murmured in agreement.  
  
"True, true," said Loki, nodding. "He is, of course, still young and not at the height of his abilities. But I do have a solution for that as well." He reached into the pouch at his belt, and fumbled about in it until he pulled out what appeared to be a golden medallion at the end of a long golden chain. A fox was engraved upon the medallion's surface, gazing out at the viewer with a sly wink. Loki turned to Bobby, and motioned to him. "Step forward, Master Drake, if you please."  
  
Bobby hesitated. Loki snapped his fingers, and said to him, with all the strictness of an algebra teacher who had just noticed that his students were late in turning in their homework, "I gave you a command, young man. And I expect you to follow it."  
  
Bobby sighed, and walked up to the trickster-god. "Thank you," said Loki. He placed the medallion around Bobby's neck. "Now, if you will kindly repeat your display for us," he said.  
  
The lad pointed his fingers at the window again, as he had done before. This time, the blast of ice from it encased the entire section of the wall that the window was set in, plus that part of the room up to three feet away from it. Bobby staggered back, staring in astonished disbelief at what he had done. Everyone else was staring in amazement as well, except for Loki, who merely nodded in a pleased fashion.  
  
"Thank you, Master Drake," he said. "Very well done."  
  
"What - what is this thing?" Bobby asked. He tried to take the medallion off, but the moment that he touched it, he withdrew his hand at once as if it had been stung.  
  
"An enhancer for your abilities," answered Loki. "I thought that you might find it useful."  
  
"An enhancer?" asked Bobby. "You mean, like those Gems of Cytorrak that the big kids told us about?"  
  
"Well, I have never heard of those particular jewels that you name," said Loki, in an off-hand fashion, "so I cannot comment on that. But, yes, this medallion has tripled your abilities tenfold, so long as you wear it - and you certainly will not be taking it off. Most useful, do you not agree? Which reminds me," he added, glancing over at Roberto, Jubilee, and Ray, "that I'll need to have extras made for you three."  
  
The three young mutants looked distinctly apprehensive upon hearing that particular remark. None of them dared speak up in protest, however. They remained almost dejectedly silent.  
  
"Now, where was I?" said Loki. "Oh, yes. Once we are across the Kerlaugar, we will be at the very walls of Asgard. That will be when we launch our assault. The usual train of siege engines, not to mention our own abilities, and those of our young recruits. Recruits whom I trust are going to be cooperative," he added, looking at the four New Mutants in a meaningful fashion as he spoke. "We will bring down the walls, swarm inside through the breach that we have made, and battle the Aesir hand to hand. Without Thor and his hammer to oppose us, they will barely be able to withstand us, and Asgard will fall to us within a few hours. After which, of course, we can proceed to conquer the rest of the nine worlds, without Odin and his people to interfere."  
  
He stepped back, with a slight bow. "Well, that is my plan," he said proudly. "What do the rest of you think of it?"  
  
"Not bad," said Utgard-Loki, after thinking it over for a moment. "But you had better not let anything befall those four. It does seem that you have made them into the cornerstone of your plan. If they fall out of our hands -"  
  
"They will not," said Loki. "I will keep too close an eye on them for it. Of course, we really ought to do something about their friends, too. We can scarcely have them running about. Fortunately, Heimir has already captured one of them, so that means that we only have three more to worry about."  
  
"One of the others has been captured?" blurted out Bobby in alarm. "Which one?"  
  
"I don't believe that I gave you permission to speak, young man," said Loki, turning and fixing the lad with a very disapproving stare. "But, if you want to know, it was that haughty young princess from - what was the name again? Ah, yes, Nova Roma. Amara was her name, I believe."  
  
"You've got Amara?" Bobby cried.  
  
"That is correct," Loki replied sharply. "But as I told you before, you are overreaching your proper bounds in speaking back to me like that. Do that again, and I will have to take proper disciplinary measures. Such as...." He paused, knitting his brows in thought. "Well, I'll think of something," he said. "Preferably something truly unpleasant."  
  
* * *  
  
King Eitri seated himself at the council table, and looked over the faces of the dwarf lords present. Then he coughed sharply, and spoke.  
  
"My friends, these are troubled times. After many long years of peace, Nidavellir finds itself threatened, by Loki Laufeyson and his forces. Even now, it seems, he is making common cause with the dark elves of Svartalfheim, at the least - and I would not be greatly astonished if I was to learn that he had forged an alliance with the frost giants and the trolls, as well. But even if he has not, the situation as it stands is serious."  
  
"Before we proceed any further, my liege," said one of the clan-lords at the table, "might I ask why you have invited these two young Midgarders to this council?" He was looking closely at Sam and Jamie, who were standing behind King Eitri's throne, both of them looking not quite at home amid this gathering. "Only dwarves are welcome at dwarf-councils."  
  
"That has been the custom for a long while, Jari," said King Eitri, "I will admit. But this is an unusual situation. These boys are the ones who discovered this apparent alliance, and warned us of it. I have asked them to be here for that purpose."  
  
"Ah, yes," said Jari, nodding, a sour look still upon his face. "Those two. There's scarcely a dwarf in Nidavellir who hasn't heard of their coming."  
  
"Indeed," said another dwarf clan-lord. "There's not been this great a stir since the contest between Your Majesty and the sons of Ivaldi over who was the greater smith."  
  
"But surely it takes more than such dubious renown and having been the quarry for dark elves to lead to their invitation to a council," Jari argued.  
  
"That I can agree with you upon," said King Eitri. "But there is indeed more about the two lads here than this. It was they who encountered the dark elves face to face, as none of us have. And it was they who, with their absent companions, met the old man, Ivar Hakonson, whom I suspect and even fear to be truly Loki in disguise. I have bidden them here, so that they may tell their tale to you all." He nodded to Sam. "Speak up, boy, and tell us all."  
  
Sam narrated his story and that of the other New Mutants again, Jamie occasionally putting something in when Sam forgot to mention it. The dwarves listened attentively until the end. At last, Jari spoke.  
  
"So," he said, "it appears that all of this trouble has come about because the dark elves have decided, for reasons best known to themselves, to capture these two youths and hold them prisoner, just as they have already done to at least one of their friends. They are only near Nidavellir because they wish to take the two young Midgarders prisoner."  
  
"That appears to be the way of it, Jari," said Eitri. "But what precisely are you getting at?"  
  
"Only this," said Jari. "I see no reason why we should be risking war with the folk of Svartalfheim for the sake of two outsiders. Why do we not simply surrender them both to the dark elves, for the sake of peace, if the dark elves want them? It would certainly save us a considerable amount of trouble."  
  
A couple of the dwarf-lords at the table nodded eagerly, but others protested, speaking in heated voices. A loud argument broke out at the table, which only came to an end when King Eitri pounded his fist on the table. "Order!" he shouted. "Order!"  
  
When silence fell, he spoke to Jari. "That is the one option that is out of the question," he said grimly. "These two lads may not be of our kind, but still, they are under our roof, and have become our guests. As such, we may not yield them up without breaking the sacred laws of hospitality, and thereby forfeiting all our honor."  
  
"And what would you suggest, King Eitri?" Jari asked. "If the dark elves discover that these two Midgarders are here, it is only a matter of time before they assault us. Then if we do not deliver them up to the dark elves, it will be war. Is this the fate that you will subject us to, my liege? A pointless struggle with the folk of Svartalfheim, over two youths who are not even of our kind?"  
  
"And what would you have us do?" the king asked sternly. "Deliver them up to who knows what fate, at the hands of the dark elves?"  
  
"It is better that they undergo that fate, than we ourselves, and all Nidavellir," said Jari. "Why must we suffer over a struggle that is none of our concern?"  
  
"I beg to differ with you there, Lord Jari," said Hlevang, the Chancellor, speaking up. "If the war that we suspect is about to take place, then we are indeed concerned in it. From these youngsters' story, it would appear that Loki - and I agree with my king that it was most likely him in disguise whom they encountered as Ivor Hakonson - is plotting against Odin himself, intending to topple him from his throne, and usurp the rule of Asgard."  
  
"That is Odin's problem, and the Aesir's, not ours," said Jari, with a shrug. "Let them deal with it."  
  
"If Asgard falls, it will not be the Aesir's problem alone," Hlevang continued. "Asgard is the linch-pin of the nine worlds; if Loki and his allies rule over it, then how long will it be before we ourselves are conquered? And do not think that they will ignore us if we simply lie low and do nothing. We dwarves have a reputation as the finest smiths and armorers of all, and Loki most certainly knows it, especially since he has sought us out in the past when he needed fine craftsmen to assist him. He'll turn his gaze towards us, hoping to find some way of using our services again, and this time not as a customer, but as a master. Indeed, he may well wish to conquer Nidavellir first before he marches on Asgard, both to enlist us in forging weapons of war to use in the assault, and also to deprive Odin of our aid. All that these lads from Midgard have done is to bring us into the struggle a little earlier than might have been the case otherwise. Indeed, they might even have done us a favor, in warning us about it; now we can take precautions against the invasion, when it comes."  
  
"I agree with Hlevang's counsel," said King Eitri, nodding gravely. "Indeed, I believe that we should place the entire dwarf-kingdom on a war footing now." He frowned. "It is a pity," he added, "that we cannot warn Odin of this likely conspiracy against his rule, but we have no means of sending a messenger to Asgard at present. Unless one of the Aesir comes seeking our aid, we must handle this on our own."  
  
"Aye, and it's just like Loki to strike only shortly after Odin banished Thor to Midgard," said a dwarf clan-lord grimly. "Without him or his hammer to help them in the fray, the Aesir are all but sitting ducks. Unless one of these two Midgarder-lads can tell us where to find the Thunderer," he added, looking at Sam and Jamie hopefully.  
  
"Sorry, but we can't help you out there," said Sam at once. "We didn't even know that Thor was in our world before we came here. And anyway, we don't even know how to get back home."  
  
"Then we will have to manage without Thor," said King Eitri. "In the meantime, here is what I command. Have every dwarf of fighting-age ready to take up arms and armor at a moment's notice. Strengthen the watch at every entrance to Nidavellir, and inform our gatekeepers to keep a close eye out for hostile forces. War may indeed be well upon us."  
  
Most of the dwarf-lords nodded at his words, and several of them cried assent eagerly. Jari remained silent, frowning sourly, but said nothing.  
  
"There's still the matter of our friend, Your Majesty," Sam added. "Amara. I mean, if the dark elves have her prisoner -"  
  
"I am afraid that we do not have the means to help you rescue her," said King Eitri. "Until we know more of what the folk of Svartalfheim are planning for us, all that we can do is wait, and prepare for their coming. Which, no doubt, will not be long."  
  
* * *  
  
"So the dwarves have two of our three runaways," said Heimir thoughtfully. "I must admit, I am surprised at this. Who would ever have thought that the earth-folk of Nidavellir would become involved so early in all of this?"  
  
"Loki Laufeyson will be wanting both of those youngsters," said one of the other dark elves. "Which means that we will either have to persuade the dwarves to release them - and we know how stubborn they are - or invade Nidavellir to take them back. And we know what a difficult nut to crack the dwarf-realm is."  
  
"Indeed we do," said Heimir. "But we have no reason to be discouraged. Not when you consider our new weapon."  
  
"New weapon?" asked the dark elf. "And what might it be?"  
  
"The only one of those four Midgarders whom we do have in our custody," Heimir replied, with a smile. He turned his head to look at a small, slight figure, asleep in a corner of the clearing, and snapped his fingers. "My lady Amara, it is time to awaken. We would that you honor us with your presence."  
  
Amara opened her eyes, and then climbed to her feet. She walked in an almost wooden fashion over to Heimir, as though in a trance. "Yes, my lord?" she asked, in a flat, toneless voice.  
  
"This is our weapon, my lord?" asked one of the dark elf knights to Heimir. "A mere child?"  
  
"This maiden is more than that, I assure you," said Heimir. "She was one of the younglings from Midgard gifted with great powers, after all. And even now that she has become one of our kind, she still possesses them." He turned back to Amara. "If you would give us a demonstration?" he asked.  
  
Amara nodded, then raised one hand. A ball of fire appeared in it, roaring and crackling. She threw it up in the air, where it detonated above their heads with a loud boom.  
  
"So you plan to use her in the assault upon the dwarves?" asked the dark elf knight.  
  
"Naturally, Vingi," said Heimir. "Think on it. She will serve as our champion, in breaching the defences of Nidavellir. A living siege engine, in fact."  
  
"And you believe that she will perform well?" Vingi asked.  
  
"Most certainly," Heimir replied, nodding. "Now, mount up, all of you. We have a battle to conduct."  
  
The dark elves climbed up onto their steeds, Heimir providing a spare horse for Amara, who clambered up without a word. They then turned and rode out from the clearing, in the direction of Nidavellir. 


	11. Magma Assault

11. MAGMA ASSAULT.  
  
"Do we have to wear these?" Sam asked, struggling with a coat of mail a few inches too short for him. "I mean - I feel ridiculous got up like this."  
  
"It's necessary," said King Eitri, standing beside him in the palace armory. "You will need it when the dark elves attack, given that you and your friend are the one whom they seek most. You will need to adequately protect yourselves in the fighting."  
  
"Right now, I'd rather have my training uniform," Sam replied. "At least it's not quite so heavy."  
  
"Yow!" cried one voice, dividing into several voices. Sam, Eitri, and Hlevang turned to see Jamie, having donned his own chainmail byrnie (which was, at least, the right size for him), lose his balance and land on the floor, dividing into several Jamies as he did so.  
  
"I still find that particular feat more than a little - peculiar," Hlevang commented.  
  
"Yeah, it takes a little getting used to," said Sam. "At least they don't last for very long." Even as he spoke, the duplicate Jamies winked out.  
  
"It's a pity that your friend is so young and small," said King Eitri. "Imagine if a doughty warrior were to have such a gift. He could become an entire war-host, capable of driving back everything that the dark elves were to throw at us."  
  
Before Sam could reply, another dwarf entered the armory. "Your Majesty," he said to King Eitri.  
  
"Yes, Vit?" King Eitri asked. "What is it?"  
  
"The sentries at the western gate report dark elves approaching," said Vit.  
  
"How many?" the dwarf-king asked.  
  
"Only a small troop, but all well-armed and on horseback," said Vit. "Less than a hundred, they say."  
  
"Do they bring a siege train with them?" Hlevang asked. "Because that is what they will need to breach our defences. Swords and spears will not be enough to fulfill the task."  
  
"There is no sign of any siege engines in their company," said Vit. "But there is one matter that is most strange. There is a young girl accompanying them."  
  
"Amara?" asked Sam, his ears pricking up at the dwarf's words. "Is it her?"  
  
"I know nothing of this Amara, so I cannot say," said the dwarf messenger hurriedly. "But she does not appear to be of your kind. She seems rather to be a dark elf, one of the folk of Svartalfheim rather than Midgard."  
  
King Eitri frowned. "We must to the western gate at once, to learn what is going on," he said, taking up his axe. "Follow me, all of you!"  
  
"What?" asked Jamie, looking bewildered.  
  
Sam hurriedly straightened out the boy's helmet, so that he could hear better. "The dark elves have a girl with them," he said, "but if it's Amara, then something weird's been going on here. We're going to find out. Come on."  
  
"Oh," said Jamie. Still struggling under the weight of his arms and gear, he followed Sam and the dwarves out of the armory, and off to the western gate.  
  
* * *  
  
The troop of dark elf knights rode towards the dwarf-gate, faces grim beneath their conical helmets. When they were a little more than a bow-shot from the rock wall, they halted, except for their leader. Raising one hand in the traditional gesture of parley, he rode forward to the gate.  
  
The dwarf-doors were shut, but the gatekeepers were gazing out through narrow windows at their unwelcome guests, weapons at the ready. King Eitri, Hlevang, and the two mutant boys were standing beside them, looking intently at the dark elves. But it was the girl with them who received their fullest attention, especially that of Sam and Jamie.  
  
"That's Amara?" Jamie asked, sounding bewildered. "But - what happened to her?"  
  
"I honestly don't know," Sam replied. "But if it's her, then she's really changed."  
  
While the girl on horseback beside the dark elves resembled Amara Aquilla in many ways - she had the same long black hair and dark complexion, for one - her features were different. Her face had the elongated, almost alien look to it borne by the dark elves, with enormous eyes, a small, pointed chin, and a nose so tiny as to be almost invisible. Her ears were enormous and sharply pointed at the tips. Her face remained blank and expressionless, and she sat in her saddle stiffly, like a marionette.  
  
"If that is your friend, then they must have altered her by some dark sorcery," said King Eitri. "I wonder.... You say that she fell unconscious after eating the food that Ivar Hakonson had prepared for you?"  
  
"Yes," said Sam. "Just before those guys showed up and made off with her."  
  
"And neither of you partook of it?" the dwarf-king continued.  
  
"No, sir," Sam answered. "She was the only one who had any of it."  
  
"Then that may explain it," said King Eitri. "I have heard that the dark elves have certain foodstuffs which transform those Midgarders who partake of them into their own kind. It is very possible that the food which Ivar gave you was of that nature."  
  
"Rahne said that there was something bad about it," Sam admitted. "I guess that her nose wins again."  
  
Before King Eitri could reply, the leader of the dark elf knights reached the gate. In a loud voice, he called out "Is anyone here who will treat with me?"  
  
"I am here," King Eitri called out. "I, King Eitri of Nidavellir, speak. Whom is it that I am exchanging words with?"  
  
"I am Heimir of Svartalfheim, a great lord among the dark elves," said the knight. "In the name of Loki Laufeyson, rightful master of the nine worlds, I bring you this message. We understand that you are sheltering within your halls two fugitives from Midgard, the lawful property of Loki. We demand that you yield them up to us. Do so, and Loki will be merciful unto you. Refuse, and things will go far less well for you."  
  
"You and your master have no writ here," replied King Eitri. "And we certainly know Loki well enough to know that his word cannot be trusted. Begone from Nidavellir."  
  
"You are being very foolish to resist us so," said Heimir. "If you defy us, we will breach your defenses, put you to the sword, and place the yoke of slavery upon the necks of your people. Are you indeed willing to risk your kingdom for the sake of two lads that are not of your kind?"  
  
"You and your forces pose no threat to us," Eitri said in response. "Or are you unaware of the fact that the gates of Nidavellir are too strong for you to breach? Even had you a proper siege train with you, you would not prevail, and all that you have is a small company of knights. It will take more than swords and spears to prevail against stone."  
  
"Quite correct," said Heimir, nodding. A cold, thin smile was upon his face. "We have something much better." He turned back to Amara. "Attack," he told her.  
  
With a stiff nod, Amara dismounted from her horse, and walked forward, until she stood beside Heimir. Then she stretched out both hands towards the stone gates, and shot out a blast of flame at them from her finger- tips, shifting into her fiery form as she did so.  
  
King Eitri stared at the sight before him in disbelief. "Your friend," he said, turning to Sam and Jamie. "Was she - always like this? If I did not know better, I would believe her to have come from Muspelheim, rather than from Midgard."  
  
"No, that's just her mutant ability," said Sam. "She was like this back home. Well, except that she wouldn't go around burning things down for the bad guys, the way that she's doing now."  
  
"At least she cannot endanger us that much," said Eitri. "After all, fire cannot burn stone."  
  
"That is no mere flame that she is sending against us," said Hlevang concernedly. The stone gates were beginning to glow red, growing uncomfortably warm. The dwarves behind them were falling back, as the heat grew stronger. "It is the fury of a fire-mountain. She is making the doors molten."  
  
"We have to stop her," said King Eitri. "Though how, I do not know. Any spear that we hurled at her, or arrow that we shot at her, would be consumed to ashes before it even reached her."  
  
"You're not going to hurt her!" cried Sam at once. "I mean - Amara's our friend!"  
  
"Then do you have a means of preventing her from forcing her way into Nidavellir without harming her?" asked Hlevang. "For we certainly know of none."  
  
Sam turned to Jamie. "Got any ideas?" he asked.  
  
The younger boy shook his head. "Do you?" he asked.  
  
"Not a one," said Sam. "But there's got to be some way of cooling her down - wait a minute, that's it!" He paused. "Oh, bother! The one time that Bobby could do us some good, and he's not here!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" asked King Eitri.  
  
"Well, Your Majesty," said Sam, "do you have any ice handy? Preferably a lot of ice?"  
  
"Well, we do keep some on hand in our storerooms," said the dwarf-king. "It helps to preserve our food, so that it will last longer."  
  
"Then we'll need all that we can," said Sam. "If we could use it on Amara, maybe it could slow her down long enough for us to find some way of snapping her out of it."  
  
"But won't we need a lot of ice for that?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Probably," said Sam. "Maybe even a small glacier."  
  
"I do not know that we have that much ice on hand," said King Eitri. "But I suppose that we must make do with what we have."  
  
* * *  
  
"I still find this plan more than a little unsettling," Hlevang was saying, as dwarf after dwarf brought a bucket filled with ice up to them. By now, Amara had almost melted her way through the gates, and the gateroom itself was now empty, having grown too uncomfortably warm for them. "This ice is necessary to preserve our food; without it, it will spoil."  
  
"I agree," said King Eitri solemnly. "But this may be the lesser of the two evils. If that daughter of Muspell is not checked, we will have much greater things to worry about than a shortage of supplies."  
  
A few dwarves, alongside Sam and a temporary small army of Jamies, were quickly working on some sort of complicated machine. It looked a bit like a small catapult, but with six ladles, each one filled to the brim with ice. Sam turned away from it, towards Eitri and Hlevang. "It's almost done," he said.  
  
"Is it going to work?" asked Jamie, as all of his duplicates merged back into a single 12-year-old.  
  
"I hope so," said Sam. "Because I don't have a Plan B."  
  
He stood by the machine's winch as the stone gates finally melted away under Amara's fiery blast. Still in her magma form, she strode into the entrance hall, heading straight towards them almost inexorably.  
  
"All right," said Sam, pulling the winch hurriedly. "It's now or never."  
  
The ladles all shot up, hurling their frozen contents straight at Amara. The first few blocks of ice melted and evaporated as they neared her, but the remainder descended upon her in a pile. A cloud of steam issued forth, filling the chamber.  
  
Sam, Jamie, and the dwarves all frantically waved the steam away from their eyes. When it had cleared, Amara was standing before them, back to flesh- and-blood again, blinking bewilderedly.  
  
"Yes!" cried Sam eagerly. "It worked!"  
  
"For the moment, at least," said King Eitri. "But for how long will she remain that way?"  
  
"I don't know," the youth replied. "But we'd better finish the job now, before she can try it again." And with that, he ran straight for the mutant girl. Amara cried out briefly as he grabbed hold of her. "What do you think you're doing?" she shouted. "Put me down, now!"  
  
"Well, that certainly doesn't sound like a trance," said Sam, pulling her back. "Still, just to be on the safe side...."  
  
"We've other matters than her to worry about," said King Eitri grimly. "Here come the real foes."  
  
The dark elves were riding towards the cave entrance. They were proceeding cautiously, for the rock where the doors had stood was not quite cooled down as yet, so their horses could not ride over it. But they were advancing, all the same.  
  
Eitri and Hlevang turned to the dwarf soldiers gathered behind them. Each one bore a small pouch in one hand. "Now!" shouted the dwarf king.  
  
The dwarves pulled small lumps of iron out of the sacks, and hurled them at the dark elves. Heimir and his followers fell back, crying out in alarm at the barrage of iron. Before they could recover, the dwarves drew out iron- headed battle-axes, and charged forward, shouting grimly.  
  
But there was no need for them to use their weapons. Heimir turned to his followers and cried out, "Fall back! Fall back now!"  
  
The dark elves retreated out of the tunnel, if in good order. At a signal from King Eitri, some of the dwarves hauled a block of stone forward, to block the entrance, once the rock had cooled down enough for them to tread safely on it.  
  
"That will do for a makeshift, while our stonewrights build fresh gates," said Eitri. "Let us be grateful that we have taken the dark elves' living weapon from them. They cannot use her for a second attack now."  
  
"But is it safe to have her here?" Hlevang inquired concernedly. "If she is now within Nidavellir, she might well be able to threaten us from within."  
  
"Don't worry," said Sam. "I think that she's snapped out of it."  
  
Amara was staring up at him and Jamie, her eyes focused now, as though she was waking up from a long sleep. "All right, where are we?" she asked. "Somebody must have moved me while I was out of it. And while we're at it, where's Rahne? And why are you two wearing all that armor? And who are all these little people?"  
  
"You don't remember what happened to you?" Sam asked.  
  
"Not since I passed out," she said. "I woke up, to find myself down here, wet and cold." She wrung out her hair a little more, a disgusted expression upon her face. "Would you mind explaining to me just what happened?"  
  
"Well, that's kind of difficult, actually," said Sam, "since we missed most of it ourselves. But - well, you got kidnapped by those knights that we ran into when we first got here, and when you showed up next, you were looking really weird and attempting to break into this place for those knights."  
  
"Looking really weird?" asked Amara sharply. "I trust that you were not deliberately trying to be insulting, Samuel Guthrie."  
  
"No, it's not that at all," said Sam. "It's just that - well, have you looked in a mirror lately?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Amara asked. But even as she spoke, one hand strayed up to her face, felt her pointed chin, almost non-existent nose, then her severely enlarged and pointed ears. "What - what happened here?"  
  
"The dwarves here say that you ate some sort of food that turned you into a dark elf," said Sam. "It looks as if you're still one, too, even if you've been snapped out of that trance."  
  
"Aahhhh!" cried Amara. She had just pulled her compact mirror out of her pocket, and was now staring in horror at her altered features. "I look like a freak!"  
  
"Well, you said it, not me," said Sam quickly.  
  
"I hope that there's a cure for this condition," Amara went on, "or else, the moment that we get back to the Institute, I'm going to have to ask the Professor if he's got another image inducer like Kurt's. I am not going out in public looking like this."  
  
"So, is there a cure?" asked Sam to King Eitri.  
  
"I honestly do not know," the dwarf-king replied. "We've heard tales about those who were transformed by faerie food, but never anything about a way to undo the enchantment. And since such a thing has never befallen a dwarf, but only Midgarders, finding a cure never seemed necessary to us."  
  
"Well, it's necessary now," said Sam.  
  
"I'll say!" put in Amara. Jamie nodded in silence.  
  
"What do you think, Hlevang?" King Eitri asked, turning to his chancellor. "Would we be able to find a cure?"  
  
"There is a possibility," said Hlevang. "Our hall of records may contain the information that we need in order to undo whatever it is the dark elves have done. The damsel here is not the first victim of their food, so our gathered lore may include a possible antidote."  
  
"Then let's start looking right away!" Sam cried.  
  
"We will also have to continue to keep watch," said King Eitri troubledly, addressing the dwarven soldiers. "The dark elves will not give up so easily. I fear that they will soon return, especially now that they have three Midgarders to seize hold of, rather than only two. We may be in for a long war."  
  
* * *  
  
"And so this is how we fare," said a dark elf knight in disgust. He and his comrades sat in a semi-circle in the clearing where they had encamped before the first assault upon the dwarf-halls, all in a poor mood. "Beaten back by dwarves, and as though that was not enough, we lose our Midgarder charge! Well-fought, indeed!"  
  
"Peace, Edric," said Heimir grimly. "This is only a brief setback. We will recapture her, and the other two younglings as well. And we will make the dwarf-folk pay for this defeat."  
  
"So what are we going to tell Loki?" asked another dark elf.  
  
"Nothing, as yet," Heimir replied. "He does not need to know, yet. Rather, we will continue to search for a way of entering Nidavellir, and regaining our prisoners. We will find a way in, if it takes us a century. Upon my sword, this I vow." 


	12. The Quest of the Fountain

12. THE QUEST OF THE FOUNTAIN.  
  
  
  
*I still find your tale most strange, little one,* Hrimhari was saying, as he and Rahne trotted side by side through the Iron Forest. *Not simply that you are one of the two-legs who can take on the shape of one of my kind; as I said before, I have heard of such things. But that you travel with other two-legs, also gifted with remarkable abilities, and that you come from Midgard - that is much more astonishing. There has been no traffic between Midgard and our world for many generations.*  
  
  
  
*Midgard?* Rahne asked.  
  
  
  
*It is the name that both we and the two-legs in these parts have for your world,* said Hrimhari. *There was once much travel between your world and ours, I believe, long ago. But then the gateways were closed, and we have heard nothing from Midgard or the two-legs dwelling there ever since.*  
  
  
  
*How did that happen?* Rahne asked. *The gateways closing, I mean?*  
  
  
  
*I have heard that Odin, the ruler of the Aesir, had decided that the two- legs in Midgard should be left in peace,* the wolf explained. *Until then, many of the peoples in this world and the ones adjoining it were fond of visiting Midgard, and meeting with the two-legs. Odin himself did it frequently, I have heard. So did the alfar, the jotnar, the duergar, and even some of my own kind. But after a time, Odin came to the decision that the two-legs should be left alone. He forbade his own people to visit Midgard again, without his leave, and sealed off all the gateways to it. But it seems that one of the two-legs in your world has opened a gateway to this place of his own.*  
  
  
  
*Odin?* Rahne asked. *You're not talking about who I think you're talking about, are you?*  
  
  
  
*So his fame still lingers on in Midgard,* said Hrimhari, looking interested. *I must admit, I had never expected such a thing. Although I've given little thought to your home-world, in truth, ere now. It never seemed particularly important here in Jarnvith.*  
  
  
  
*So can you help me find my friends?* Rahne asked, returning to the original subject.  
  
  
  
*I must inform you that you are asking much of me,* Hrimhari told her gravely. *My kind have never had dealings with two-legs before. We prefer to keep to ourselves, and not become involved in their affairs. It's safer for us that way.*  
  
  
  
*I know what you mean,* said Rahne. *A lot of - well, two-legs - aren't all that fond of wolves back home. But Sam, Jamie, and Amara are different. They don't have that big a problem with wolves, especially with me around.*  
  
  
  
*So you can vouch for them, then?*  
  
  
  
*Yes, I can,* said Rahne. *And it's really important, too.*  
  
  
  
*Well, since you are partly of my kind, and have spoken on their behalf, I will see what I can do,* said Hrimhari. *Now, where did you say you were when the svart alfar attacked and parted you from your friends?*  
  
  
  
*I'm not quite certain now, actually,* Rahne admitted. *I was so busy running that I didn't have that much opportunity to look at my surroundings. It wasn't too far from here. And Sam and Jamie looked as though they were heading east, when I saw them last. Oh, yes, I think that I was somewhere to the south of here at the time.*  
  
  
  
*Then they would have been fleeing in the direction of Nidavellir,* said Hrimhari.  
  
  
  
*Nidavellir?* Rahne asked. *What's that?*  
  
  
  
*It is the dwelling of the duergar,* said Hrimhari. *They are another branch of the two-legs, shorter than others. They live underground, or so I have heard, and spend much time working with stone and with metal.*  
  
  
  
*And how would they treat Sam and Jamie?* Rahne asked.  
  
  
  
*I do not know,* said Hrimhari. *We have no contact with the earth-folk; they possess nothing that we require, so we have never sought them out. How they would respond towards the two-legs of Midgard, therefore, I cannot say.*  
  
  
  
*Well, in that case, I definitely need to go there,* said Rahne. *Can you tell me the way?*  
  
  
  
*I can do better,* said Hrimhari. *I can go with you, as a guide. And this, I should warn you, is doing much. This will be the first time for many seasons that I have left the Iron Forest. My kind does not venture beyond the eaves of Jarnvith lightly, I must tell you.*  
  
  
  
*Then why are you making an exception for me?* Rahne asked.  
  
  
  
*Because you are partly of my kind, even if you are also a two-legs,* said Hrimhari. *We do not abandon each other in time of need.*  
  
  
  
*Thank you,* said Rahne. *This means a lot to me.*  
  
  
  
The two of them set off through the woods, heading in the direction that Rahne assumed was southwards.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Sam closed another book with a sigh, and pulled a fresh one down from the shelf. In the process, he inadvertently dislodged a fairly sizable cloud of dust, promptly provoking a sneezing fit from Jamie, who was standing next to him.  
  
  
  
"We really are going to have to consult the books here more often," said King Eitri ruefully. "It is alarming as to how much we have neglected this place."  
  
  
  
"You can say that again," said Amara, looking disapprovingly at a few cobwebs overrunning the bookshelf to her right. "When was the last time that you had someone in here to clean this place?"  
  
  
  
"Perhaps Nidavellir is the wrong place to be seeking what you wish to know," said Hlevang, ignoring her words. "The libraries in Alfheim or Svartalfheim might prove more informative. Or Odin himself might know of a cure. But we have no means of journeying to Alfheim or Asgard, and venturing to Svartalfheim is far too perilous. So this will have to do."  
  
  
  
"How about this?" Jamie asked, looking down at one of the crinkly parchment pages. He pointed to a small passage in the text, next to a rough illustration of what looked like a forest spring.  
  
  
  
The others crowded around the book. King Eitri read the passage aloud. " 'It is said that the Fountain of Lyfja contains within its waters this virtue, to undo any dark enchantment woven by the svart alfar. Whosoever drinks from it will be cured even of the transformations wrought by partaking of faerie food.'"  
  
  
  
"Now we're getting somewhere!" cried Sam eagerly.  
  
  
  
"I'll say that we are," agreed Amara. "So where is this Fountain of Lyfja? Not too far away from here, I hope?"  
  
  
  
"Fortunately, it is fairly close at hand," said King Eitri. "It is only a few hours' journey from here, in fact."  
  
  
  
"That's great!" said Sam. "We can go looking for it at once!"  
  
  
  
"However, there are complications," King Eitri continued. "The Fountain of Lyfja lies within the Iron Forest, or Jarnvith."  
  
  
  
"Jarnvith?" Sam repeated. "The same Jarnvith where all those wolves live, that you told us about?"  
  
  
  
Eitri nodded. "The same," he said.  
  
  
  
"Well, we'll just have to deal with them, then," said Sam, with a sigh. "Amara and I can just head off -"  
  
  
  
"Amara will have to remain here," said King Eitri.  
  
  
  
"I beg your pardon?" the girl began sharply. "I am not going to be kept here as a prisoner, or a hostage, or something like that! All right, so I burned down your doors, but that was only because those dark elves had me in a trance at the time!"  
  
  
  
"I fear that you mistake us," said Hlevang. "We have no intention of holding you against your will. But the Iron Forest is literally that. Its trees are made of iron rather than of wood. And as long as you remain a dark elf, my lady, you cannot safely set foot within it. Iron is poison to the alfar, you see."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, Amara," said Sam. "I can handle it on my own."  
  
  
  
"Not quite on your own," said King Eitri. "Jarnvith is a very dangerous place to venture into. You should not go there alone. I am sending Ginnar with you; he can protect you in case you come upon any danger."  
  
  
  
"I can handle it myself," Sam replied. "But - thanks, anyway."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Ginnar did not appear particularly pleased with the prospect of the journey into the Iron Forest, and made no attempt to hide his dislike for it as he and Sam set out. He was grumbling under his breath all the while, as they left through the gates of Nidavellir (a different set of gates than the ones that Amara had earlier destroyed on behalf of the dark elves, lying a mile or so to the north of those), Sam waving good- bye to Jamie, Amara, King Eitri, Hlevang, and a small crowd of interested and curious dwarves behind them. He was still grumbling as they continued northwards, towards a dark line of trees in the distance.  
  
  
  
"Anything wrong?" Sam asked him, after a couple of minutes.  
  
  
  
"Anything wrong?" the dwarf repeated. "I'll say that there is. I have a very bad feeling about this entire enterprise!"  
  
  
  
"Why?" Sam inquired. "What's wrong about it?"  
  
  
  
"Several things," Ginnar replied. "We are now at war with the dark elves, and at this time, I should be there to defend Nidavellir. And instead, I have been sent away to aid a Midgarder in searching the Iron Forest for a magical fountain to cure another Midgarder - and one who helped the dark elves against us, at that."  
  
  
  
"Hey, don't blame Amara for it!" Sam protested at once. "They'd brainwashed her into doing it!"  
  
  
  
"Nevertheless, this quest of yours has still taken me away from my homeland in its hour of need," growled Ginnar, "and all for the sake of one who is not even of our kind. Why King Eitri insists on helping you Midgarders is entirely beyond me. After all, what have your kind ever done for us?"  
  
  
  
"Well, I'd be satisfied to do the job all by myself, actually," said Sam. "But the king believes that I need somebody along to watch out for me, so I guess that we're stuck with each other at the moment."  
  
  
  
"For the moment," said Ginnar. "Entirely out of necessity, and nothing else. And never forget that, Midgarder."  
  
  
  
They trudged on in silence for a while. The woods drew nearer. As they approached them, the sun sank lower in the sky, setting in the west. Ginnar lit his lantern, as the shadows lengthened, and spoke to Sam in a low voice.  
  
  
  
"Stay close to me, boy," he said. "They say that the beasts of Jarnvith are more active at night. We should probably have left in the morning," he added. 'Then we would not have had to brave the perils of the Iron Forest in the darkness."  
  
  
  
"I don't think that that would have worked out all that well," Sam replied. "For one thing, we'd have had to put up with Amara complaining a lot more about looking really weird. Believe me, the wolves would be a lot safer for us."  
  
  
  
"She is often like that, then?" Ginnar inquired.  
  
  
  
"Believe me, you don't want to know," answered Sam. "Of course, she is a princess - as she keeps on reminding us. And an only child, at that. I suppose that you get a lot more attention when you don't have a whole bunch of brothers and sisters, though I wouldn't know."  
  
  
  
"How do you endure her?" asked Ginnar.  
  
  
  
"Practice, mostly," said Sam. "That, and the Professor telling us that we need to be nice to her. He did it quite a lot when she first moved into the Institute, too. Why, I remember -"  
  
  
  
"That will do," said Ginnar, in a low voice. They were standing at the very edge of the Iron Forest now. "If you have anything to say - and I suggest that you only speak while here if it is of the utmost necessity, and not a simple desire to hear the sound of your own voice or to ask idle questions - speak it only in a whisper. We do not know what lies within to overhear us."  
  
  
  
"The wolves are that dangerous?" Sam asked.  
  
  
  
"Not only the wolves, but something worse," said Ginnar grimly. "Their grandmother lives here as well."  
  
  
  
"Grandmother?" said Sam. "They've got a grandmother?"  
  
  
  
"Of course," said Ginnar. "She is the matriarch of the pack."  
  
  
  
"Well, I've heard of wolves and grandmothers before, but not like this," said Sam. "So what's she like?"  
  
  
  
"You are better off not knowing," replied Ginnar, in a low voice. "Let us hope that we can reach the Fountain of Lyfja, gather some of its waters, and return to Nidavellir without meeting her or any of her brood."  
  
  
  
"Sounds like a good plan to me," said Sam, nodding. "Let's do it, then."  
  
  
  
They passed underneath the trees, making their way through the wood with as little noise as possible. Sam looked closely at the trees, as he passed by them. "There's something kind of weird about them," he told the dwarf, in a low voice. "They look as if they're made out of some sort of metal."  
  
  
  
"It is not called the Iron Forest for nothing," Ginnar replied.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, but how'd they get like that?" Sam asked. "I mean, being made out of iron?"  
  
  
  
"Nobody knows," said Ginnar quickly. "And in any case, now is not the time to discuss the matter." Without saying a further word, he continued forward, his heavy boots crunching upon the snow-covered forest floor. Sam followed him, silent himself now.  
  
  
  
"You're certain that you know where this fountain is?" he asked, after a couple of minutes.  
  
  
  
"Indeed I am," said the dwarf sharply, speaking in a tone of voice best described as "Don't ask me any more questions, if you know what's good for you." "And, yes, we are headed for it. We will probably reach it in another half hour. And that is all that I will say." And with that, he fell silent again, with a belligerent enough look in his eyes that Sam decided not to say anything more. He particularly decided against mentioning the fact that, just now, Ginnar was reminding him a lot of a certain instructor back at the Institute. Come to think of it, Logan wasn't that much taller than Ginnar....  
  
  
  
They continued on, among the metal trees. Sam could now hear odd noises, in the tree-cast shadows on both sides of them. He looked in both directions, but could not see whatever it was that was making those sounds. The sounds were not even clear enough for him to tell just what their source was. All that he could be certain of was that they seemed to be made by something walking about, over the snowy ground. But as to just what it was, he could not tell. Other than the fact that it sounded like something on four legs. Four legs.... He wondered what it could be. Was it one of the wolves that lived in these woods, which he had already heard about? Or could it be Rahne? He wished that he knew for certain. Of course, if it wasn't Rahne, but was one of those local wolves instead - and the dwarves had already indicated that they weren't all that friendly - he could very well need the hauberk that he was still wearing and the sword at his belt, even if he still felt awkward with them. He knew that Rahne wouldn't approve of getting into a fight with a wolf, and especially not injuring it, but surely she'd understand....  
  
  
  
Ginnar suddenly grasped him by the arm. Sam almost jumped out of his skin, and stared the dwarf straight in the face. "Hey!" he shouted, forgetting the earlier charge to keep quiet in his excitement. "What was that for?"  
  
  
  
"One of those beasts is close at hand," said Ginnar, in a harsh whisper. "A particularly large one, from what I can tell. And it appears to be drawing closer. Yes, I would say that it has definitely caught our scent."  
  
  
  
"So what do we do now?" asked Sam.  
  
  
  
"It is too late now to elude it," replied the dwarf warrior grimly. He raised his axe. "We will have to do battle with it."  
  
  
  
"Battle?" repeated Sam.  
  
  
  
"There's no other way," said Ginnar. "Either we must dispatch it to Niflheim and Hel's realm, or else it will do the same to us."  
  
  
  
"Right now, Choice A looks like the better of the two," said Sam, hoping that he was sounding calm, but very much suspecting that he was not.  
  
  
  
The mutant youth and the dwarf alike took up their stances, weapons in hand, waiting. After a moment, Ginnar relaxed, lowering his axe. "It has retreated," he said. "At least, for now."  
  
  
  
"That's good, then, isn't it?" Sam asked.  
  
  
  
"Maybe," said Ginnar. "Or maybe it has gone to find others and return for us. We must remain on our guard."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
*What is it?* Rahne asked, as Hrimhari trudged back to her through the snow. He had left her a few minutes ago, to investigate a noise some yards away, telling her to remain where she was until he got back. *Did you find out who it was?*  
  
  
  
He nodded. *Yes, I have,* he said. *There are two folk of the two-legs in the wood. One is of the duergar. The other appears to be a Midgarder.*  
  
  
  
*Did you see what he looked like?* asked Rahne, hope dawning.  
  
  
  
*A male, and taller than his companion,* said Hrimhari. *He looks to be leaving puppyhood, but has not entirely departed from that condition. Wait! Where are you going, young one?*  
  
  
  
Rahne was already darting through the trees, in the direction from which Hrimhari had come. Alarmed, the great grey wolf ran after her.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Sam and Ginnar had not gone far when they heard the sound of something crashing through the undergrowth towards them. They halted once again.  
  
  
  
"It has returned," said Ginnar grimly, raising his axe high once again. "When I give the word, strike!"  
  
  
  
A red-furred wolf burst into the open, running straight for Sam, baying eagerly. Ginnar prepared to swing his axe, crying out in a loud voice as he did so, "Back, whelp of Jarnvith! Back, or, by the bones of Blain, I shall -"  
  
  
  
"No, stop!" cried Sam, sheathing the sword that he had half-drawn and rushing towards the wolf. It was shifting into human form even as he spoke. "It's Rahne!"  
  
  
  
"That creature is your friend?" cried Ginnar incredulously. But he stood where he was, and offered her no violence, as Rahne ran up to Sam and hugged him.  
  
  
  
"Sam!" she cried delightedly. "Ye're here! But - where's Jamie?"  
  
  
  
"He's safe, Rahne," said Sam. "We left him and Amara back with the rest of the dwarves. But where've you been all this time?"  
  
  
  
"Out in these woods," she replied. "I hid here after those knights came after me." She paused. "Amara's with ye again?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah," replied Sam. "It's kind of a long story, though. And it's why we're here." He suddenly remembered his guide, and glanced at once over at Ginnar. "Rahne, this is Ginnar Bivarson. He's one of the dwarves from Nidavellir." Turning to the dwarf, he added, "And this is Rahne Sinclair. She's one of my friends."  
  
  
  
"You have made friends with a werewolf?" Ginnar all but sputtered.  
  
  
  
"Rahne's not a werewolf," Sam replied. "Well, she kind of is one," he added, "but not that kind of werewolf. She's from back home, like me."  
  
  
  
He was about to say more, when there came the noise of something large dashing through the trees towards them, and a great shadow loomed amid the forest gloom. Ginnar lifted his axe again. "This time it must be one of the monstrous wolves that dwell here," he said. "Now to deal with it!"  
  
  
  
"No, wait!" cried Rahne at once. Even as she spoke, an enormous grey wolf emerged from the trees, coming into plain view. Ginnar prepared to lunge at it.  
  
  
  
"He is nae an enemy!" Rahne cried. "He's a friend!"  
  
  
  
"A friend?" asked Ginnar incredulously. The wolf was staring at both him and Sam suspiciously, but making no move as yet. "That beast is your friend?"  
  
  
  
"His name's Hrimhari," said Rahne, "and he saved my life! Here, let me explain to him that ye're not the enemy!" And she shifted back into her wolf form, and began barking and growling to the large grey wolf. The wolf whom she had called Hrimhari listened, then barked and yipped at her back. The conversation-of-a-sort went on for a couple of minutes, before Rahne returned to her human form and spoke to them again.  
  
  
  
"I explained it all to him," she said, "and convinced him that ye both come in peace. But why are ye here, anyway?" She looked more closely at Sam. "And, for that matter, what are ye doin', wearin' that armor? Ye look really weird in it."  
  
  
  
"Well, it's like this," said Sam. "Amara's been turned into a dark elf by that food that she ate - you were right about it, by the way - and we have to find this enchanted fountain somewhere in the woods and use its waters to change her back into a human. The dwarves have her back in Nidavellir because she can't come into this place. All the trees are made out of iron, and iron's poison to her as long as she's a dark elf."  
  
  
  
"And do ye know where this fountain might be?" Rahne asked.  
  
  
  
"He does," said Sam, pointing to Ginnar. "At least, I hope that he does."  
  
  
  
"Yes, I do," said Ginnar, a trifle sharply. "But I would still like to know what it is that you are doing, consorting with one of those wolves. They're dangerous beasts."  
  
  
  
"Have ye ever met one o' the wolves in these parts?" Rahne asked him, looking him straight in the eye.  
  
  
  
"I have never even set foot here before," said Ginnar. "No dwarf has visited the Iron Forest in many centuries. But our traditions are not false. The wolves of Jarnvith are perilous. Every dwarf in Nidavellir knows that."  
  
  
  
"And how would ye know, if none o' yuir people hae even met a wolf here, for so long?" Rahne asked, her voice sounding very angry now. "Ye're condemnin' an entire species just because of some auld tradition! Suppose that yuir tradition turns out to be false, then what?"  
  
  
  
"You are speaking of time-honored records passed from one generation of dwarves to another -" Ginnar began. But Rahne did not let him continue.  
  
  
  
"We've got people like that back home, as well! Hatin' wolves and anythin' else that seems different from themselves, and comin' up with all sorts o' excuses for it! And that doesn't change the fact that they're wrong! Nae, it does not!"  
  
  
  
"Good point," said Sam. "And he hasn't tried to eat us, either," he added, indicating Hrimhari as he spoke. "Oh, and one other thing. If you've never been in Jarnvith before, then how do you know where the Fountain of Lyfja is?"  
  
  
  
"The book gave detailed instructions on how to find it," said Ginnar stiffly.  
  
  
  
Hrimhari was watching the whole conversation, looking more than a little puzzled. "Excuse me for a moment," said Rahne. "I'll fill him in."  
  
  
  
She shifted back to wolf-form, and barked at him for a couple of minutes. He replied with a few growls and whines of his own. After a bit more back- and-forth talk between them, Rahne returned to her human form, and spoke again.  
  
  
  
"Hrimhari says that he knows where the Fountain of Lyfja can be found," she said. "He'll lead us there."  
  
  
  
"He's doing that for us?" asked Sam.  
  
  
  
"Well, for me, actually," said Rahne. "Let's do it, shall we?"  
  
  
  
"I am not following a wolf of Jarnvith anywh-" Ginnar stopped in mid- sentence, as he realized that the two youngsters were already rushing off after Hrimhari, who was loping through the woods at a great pace. "Hey!" he shouted. "Wait for me!" And he ran off after the three of them.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
It was after a while longer of running that they reached an open clearing, in the middle of which a natural spring gushed upwards. Hrimhari pointed at it with his snout, and barked once.  
  
  
  
"This must be it," said Rahne. "Ye've got something to put the water in, I trust?"  
  
  
  
Sam nodded, pulling a leather flask from his belt. "They gave it to us just before we left Nidavellir," he said. He dipped it into the water, then pulled it out and carefully screwed on the cap. "Yes, that should do it," he said. "Now, let's go back."  
  
  
  
"With pleasure," said Ginnar sourly. He glanced at the grey wolf in such a way as to show that he still did not trust it. "I hope that you are not planning on bringing it back with us to Nidavellir," he added.  
  
  
  
Rahne looked at him sharply again, but instead of arguing with him over it, turned back into a wolf and spoke to Hrimhari. *He still does not seem to like having you around,* she said.  
  
  
  
*So I gathered,* Hrimhari replied. *I doubt that I will be going back with you to Nidavellir, in any case. I feel more at home in the woods, myself.*  
  
  
  
*So what will you be doing now?* Rahne asked him.  
  
  
  
*I will seek out the rest of my pack,* he answered. *There seems to be something brewing here. Svart alfar and jotnar are clearly in league now, from what I have seen and heard as yet, and the svart alfar have already made war upon the duergar, it would seem. I must inform my fellow wolves of this, and consult with them. I very much doubt that what is coming is only a matter of importance for the two-legs, and thus my family must be warned and prepared. Until then, I must bid you farewell.*  
  
  
  
*Good-bye, then,* said Rahne. *And thank you for helping me.*  
  
  
  
*You are most welcome, little one,* said Hrimhari in return. And with that, he walked away through the trees, and vanished into the gloom.  
  
  
  
"All right, he's gone," said Ginnar. "Now let us return to Nidavellir ourselves, shall we? If we remain here, who knows what we might run into next?"  
  
  
  
"He's got a point," said Sam. "Let's be on our way now, shall we? We've got to deliver this to Amara."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Where are they?" Amara asked, pacing back and forth in the library.  
  
  
  
"Patience, my lady," said King Eitri. He, Hlevang, and Jamie were all watching the transformed princess of Nova Roma, the three of them looking more than a little apprehensive. Amara had several times summoned up a small ball of fire in her hand, and looked more than half ready to throw it somewhere as a means of releasing her frustrations. Since they were in the middle of a library filled with old books, that was anything but reassuring to them.  
  
  
  
"That's easy for you to say!" she cried. "You're not the one who's been turned into a dark elf!"  
  
  
  
"No, but burning down this room will not help matters at all," said the dwarf-king.  
  
  
  
"I am not planning to burn the library down," Amara protested.  
  
  
  
"Then could you please extinguish the ball of fire in your hand?" Hlevang asked her. "We find it more than a little disconcerting."  
  
  
  
Amara sighed, as she banished the fire. "Don't say anything!" she added, looking sharply at Jamie.  
  
  
  
"I wasn't even going to," the boy began. Before he could defend himself further, however, there came a loud knock on the door.  
  
  
  
"Yes?" asked King Eitri. "Who's there?"  
  
  
  
"We have returned, my lord," said Ginnar's voice. "And we have the water from the fountain."  
  
  
  
"Enter," said Eitri.  
  
  
  
The door opened, and Ginnar, Sam, and Rahne trooped in. Amara and Jamie stared at the young werewolf as she entered, Jamie letting out a squeal of delight. "You're back!" he cried, rushing towards her.  
  
  
  
"Hullo, Jamie," said Rahne. Then she stopped and stared at Amara. "What big eyes ye have!" she said in astonishment.  
  
  
  
"I'm surprised that you, of all people, would be saying that," said the Nova Roman princess sharply. "And I hardly needed to hear it from you, or anyone else, anyway."  
  
  
  
"But it's the truth," Rahne argued. "I didna think it possible that anyone's eyes could grow so large, except in anime!"  
  
  
  
"Sam will probably have told you everything," said Amara. "And now, can we please have the water, without any more of this fuss?"  
  
  
  
Sam handed the flask to her. "Drink up, Your Highness," he said to her.  
  
  
  
Amara uncorked the flask, then raised it to her mouth. She drank the contents with a very unregal display of haste, then lowered it with a sigh. "This had better work," she said.  
  
  
  
Even as she spoke, her facial features began to undergo a number of contortions. Amara let out a brief cry of pain before her eyes shrank down, her chin became less pointed, and her ears grew smaller. In another moment, she looked fully like herself again.  
  
  
  
"Thank goodness that's over with," she said, feeling her face. "So I'm back to normal now, am I?"  
  
  
  
"I suppose," said Sam. "I've got to admit, this was all easier than I thought it would be."  
  
  
  
"We're nae done yet, though," said Rahne. "We still have to find the others, after all. And we have to find a way of getting back home, for that matter."  
  
  
  
"But that's not all," said Sam. "I mean, in light of everything that we've heard, we seem to have some sort of big war on our hands. Dark elves, giants, and even this Loki guy - if that's who Ivar really was. They all seem to be up to something big."  
  
  
  
"Hrimhari certainly seemed to believe it," agreed Rahne.  
  
  
  
"Hrimhari?" asked King Eitri.  
  
  
  
"You do not wish to know, my liege," said Ginnar. "Believe me when I say that unto you."  
  
  
  
"So I'd say that we're going to have to help the folks here do something about it," said Sam. "Find out just what Loki's up to, and then stop him, as well as rescuing Bobby and the other kids from him. What do the rest of you think?"  
  
  
  
"I'm for it," said Rahne.  
  
  
  
"So am I," said Amara. "I've more than a few things to say to him for what he did to me."  
  
  
  
"Jamie?" asked Sam.  
  
  
  
The youngest of the New Mutants nodded. "Just as long as I don't get left behind again," he added.  
  
  
  
"Good," said Sam. "Now let's see if we can figure out some sort of plan." 


	13. Meanwhile, Back at the Institute

13. MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE INSTITUTE....  
  
  
  
"No sign of them anyvhere," said Kurt, bamfing into the entrance hall of the Institute. "I checked the grounds all over."  
  
  
  
"No sign of them in town, either," said Evan.  
  
  
  
"Where could they have gotten to?" asked Jean. "How do eight students simply disappear into thin air, without a trace?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah," said Evan. "Did we suddenly get our own local Bermuda Triangle, or something?"  
  
  
  
"Maybe they ran off to join the Brotherhood like Tabitha did," commented Rogue.  
  
  
  
"They'd better not have," said Logan, with a growl. "They're in enough trouble as it is, already."  
  
  
  
"No success in locating them, I take it," said Xavier, wheeling into the room, accompanied by Beast and Storm.  
  
  
  
"None at all," said Jean. "We haven't found a sign of them anywhere."  
  
  
  
"Professor?" Scott's voice sounded from the intercom in the hall. "You'd better come down and see this. Bring the others with you."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"This hole in the door was definitely made by something ramming into it, very hard," said Scott, showing the rest of the X-Men the door to Forge's laboratory. Or, to be more accurate, the remains of the door to Forge's laboratory.  
  
  
  
"Cannonball," said Logan, with a disgusted growl. "You'd think that he'd have learned something after that little joyride that he was part of."  
  
  
  
Forge peered through the hole in the door, and then turned at once to the others, an alarmed look upon his face. "All of you, keep back!" he cried. "Don't go in there!"  
  
  
  
"What's wrong, Forge?" Kitty asked.  
  
  
  
"Somebody switched my dimensional portal back on," the mutant inventor replied, "and from the looks of things, they didn't do a good job of it. It's gone completely haywire! Just look!"  
  
  
  
In the laboratory, the dimensional portal was aglow, the image of a wintery forest appearing within its frame. A roaring sound emanated from it, and even from the corridor, the X-Men, as they peered into the room, could feel a faint tugging sensation coming from it. Had they actually been standing inside the laboratory, they would never have been able to resist it.  
  
  
  
"Somebody must have been playing with your device," said Professor Xavier concernedly.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, and I'll give you three guesses as to just who it was, Chuck," said Logan. "And the first two don't count."  
  
  
  
"The missing students must have been sucked in there," said Forge. "I don't know what they were doing with it, but I don't think that it was anything good."  
  
  
  
"That does not bode well for them," said Beast. "If that gigantic eagle that we saw in there is any indication of what that world on the other side of it was like, they could be in serious danger."  
  
  
  
"We're going to need to go in there and find some way of getting them out," said Scott. "But first, we're going to need to find some way of fixing that thing."  
  
  
  
"That is going to be tricky," said Forge, looking inside. "We'll need to find some way of getting to the control panel and shutting the portal down before we can do the proper repairs. And we have to do it without getting pulled inside."  
  
  
  
"I've an idea," said Jean.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Now, I'm going to use my telekinesis to keep you from being caught by the pull from the portal and tugged into it, if the rope isn't enough," Jean said to Forge, as he finished tying the rope around his waist. The other end of the rope was fastened to one of Evan's bone-spikes, which was anchored securely in the wall. "But I can't keep it up for long, so you'd better do the repairs quickly."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry," said Forge. "All that I have to do is to switch it off. Once I've done that, I can sort out whatever they did to the control panel without any worry of being sucked in."  
  
  
  
"Vell, um, break a leg," said Kurt. "I mean - vell, you know vhat I mean."  
  
  
  
Forge nodded, and rushed into the laboratory, straight for the control panel. He battled his way across the room, struggling against the pull. Scott, Wolverine, and Beast held on tightly to the rope out in the corridor, to counter the tugging of the suction force from the portal all the more, while Jean concentrated hard, Storm and Kitty supporting her. Forge reached the panel, and seized hold of the lever. He tugged on it all the way, and pulled it to the "Off" position. The glow within the gateway faded, and the wind died down.  
  
  
  
"It's clear now," he said, calling to the X-Men waiting outside. "Though I'd better see about doing some adjustments on this thing before we turn it back on."  
  
  
  
The X-Men entered the room and looked over the de-activated portal. "Do you really think that they were sucked in there?" Jean asked, looking very much relieved to be no longer having to reach out to Forge and keep him secure from the tugging. "The new students, I mean?"  
  
  
  
"Probably," said Forge. "It would explain both what happened to it - it certainly was not in this condition when the Professor and I left - and where that lot are now."  
  
  
  
"I should have known that those kids would go poking their noses where they don't belong," muttered Logan. "I still think, Chuck, that we need at least one more instructor here. With fourteen students here, it's gonna take more than just Ororo, me, and Hank to keep them in line."  
  
  
  
"I know," said Xavier, with a sigh. "I've tried to find another instructor, but there aren't that many people out there with the qualifications. I spoke about it to Sean and Moira again last week, but they still aren't able to leave Muir Isle."  
  
  
  
"So what are we going to do about the missing students, Professor?" Scott asked.  
  
  
  
"There's only one thing to do," said Xavier. "Somebody will have to go in after them."  
  
  
  
"Are you sure that that's such a good idea, Professor?" asked Rogue. "Ah mean, what if we can't get back out again when we do find them?"  
  
  
  
"Some of us will remain behind, to keep the portal open," said Xavier. "The most difficult part will be to locate them. However, if Forge can aim the portal for the exact location that they entered, the search party should be able to pick up some trace of them once they cross over."  
  
  
  
"Then what are we waiting for?" said Scott. "Let's suit up and get ready to move out."  
  
  
  
"Ah was wondering when he was going to say that," said Rogue to Kurt in a low voice. "He's really getting predictable."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"There," said Forge, doing the last tweaks a few minutes later with his mechanical arm. "The damage's all been repaired - or at least, enough of it to safely use that thing."  
  
  
  
"Forge and I will stay here and monitor the dimensional gateway," said Xavier to the X-Men, all nine of whom had suited up in full uniform. Kurt had his image inducer switched on just in case the people in the other dimension didn't take too kindly to furry blue humanoids, and Beast had a king-sized heavy overcoat and fedora tucked under his arm to disguise himself with, for the same reason. "The rest of you head in there, locate the students, and get out with them as quickly as possible. And take care! We know very little about this other dimension and what its inhabitants might be. You'll need to be prepared for anything."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry, Professor," said Scott. "You can count on us."  
  
  
  
"Then let's get to it, shall we?" asked Wolverine, unleashing his adamantium claws with a loud snikkt.  
  
  
  
Forge pulled the lever back. The space within the gateway filled with churning colors like a rainbow run amok, then showed the same snow-laden forest that it had revealed during the original test run.  
  
  
  
The six young X-Men, Storm, Wolverine, and Beast, rushed through the portal, and were gone. Xavier and Forge were left alone in the laboratory, to wait. 


	14. The Beginning of the War

14. THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR.  
  
  
  
"A splendid day to march on Asgard and conquer it," said Loki, looking at the army assembled in the courtyard of Utgard. Rank upon rank of frost giants, trolls, and dark elves stood at the ready, awaiting his orders to depart. At the front were four still very unhappy-looking young mutants, mounted on their horses.  
  
  
  
Loki cleared his throat, and addressed the war-host. "My friends and associates," he said, "today is the first day of the end for Odin and his people. Today, we finally overthrow their rule and establish our own order upon the nine worlds. Normally, I wouild follow this with a fairly detailed description of what that order will be like, but I know that you are all very eager to do battle - well, almost all of you - and, if the truth be told, so am I. So, without further ado, I say - let us depart!"  
  
  
  
The frost giants, trolls, and dark elves all cheered in response. "I wonder if they're applauding the sentiments of my speech, or its brevity," said Loki to himself. "Oh well, at least they are applauding it. That is enough for me. And so off we go."  
  
  
  
The gates of Utgard swung open, and the army issued forth, off to do battle. Only the four New Mutants remained in a distinctly bleak mood.  
  
  
  
"I still can't believe this," said Roberto. "We're actually helping a pack of super-villains conquer the world."  
  
  
  
"This is not the kind of mission that I dreamed of going on," agreed Jubilee. "Bobby, you must have some idea of how to get us out of this mess."  
  
  
  
"I'm still working on one, believe me," said Bobby glumly. "I'm trying to figure out some sort of solution."  
  
  
  
"Well, so far you clearly haven't found one," said Ray sharply. "And you'd better find one before we get to this Kerlaugar river, because otherwise we're going to be in big trouble. Especially you," he added, looking at Bobby with barely-concealed anger. "I just might decide to use you for a little target practice while finding out what this medallion that I'm stuck with can do to my mutant abilities."  
  
  
  
Bobby looked distinctly nervous. "It was an honest mistake," he said. "And come on, none of you guys were suspicious about him any more than I was!"  
  
  
  
Ray merely glowered at Bobby, and said nothing. Roberto looked about to speak, but Loki turned around first and addressed him sharply. "No talking in the ranks," he said. "If you want to argue with each other, do so when we make camp."  
  
  
  
One of the dark elf earls motioned to the trickster-god just then. "My lord," he said, pointing at the sky. "Two ravens."  
  
  
  
Loki stared upwards, and nodded as he saw the two black birds circling above, gazing down below. "Ah, yes," he said. "I recognize those two. So Odin's spying on us already, is he? Well, it'll do him no good. Everything is already well in hand. All that he can do now is worry."  
  
  
  
The two ravens flew off, while Loki's army continued northwards. Loki and a few dark elf knights rode at the front, with the four New Mutants in the middle of them, guarded on all sides so that they could not attempt to escape. After them came the rest of the dark elves, followed by the trolls, and finally, the frost giants under Utgard-Loki, many of them hauling catapults and battering rams along. They left the castle of Utgard behind them, as they made their way through the wilderness of Jotunheim.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Hugin and Mugin croaked out their report, perched on Odin's shoulders. The All-Father, ruler of Asgard, nodded attentively as he listened to them. "Thank you, my watchers," he said to them. "You have done well."  
  
  
  
Heaving a sigh, he turned his gaze to the rest of the Aesir, seated in their chairs around his in the great hall of his palace of Valaskjalf. "It is even as I feared," he said. "Loki Laufeyson has shown himself in his true colors at last. He has broken with us, and made common cause with our old enemies, the frost giants, the trolls, and the dark elves. Even now, they are marching on their way to Asgard, to besiege it, something that they have not dared do for centuries."  
  
  
  
"I knew that this was coming," said Balder troubledly. "Thor's banishment must have been too much of an opportunity for Loki to pass up. He knows that the Thunderer can no longer stand against the hordes of darkness with his hammer and serve as Asgard's champion."  
  
  
  
Frey nodded, as he rose from his seat. "My lord Odin," he said, "perhaps we should revoke Thor's sentence of exile, and bid him return, to aid us in this hour of need."  
  
  
  
A few of the other Aesir present nodded eagerly, but Odin shook his head. "That is the one thing that I cannot do," he said. "I sent Thor away until he could learn humility, and not until then may he return. I cannot alter my sentence upon him, not even in this extremity, or else his time in Midgard will have done him no good. No, we must do without him and his hammer, this time."  
  
  
  
"I cannot say that I am displeased by those words," commented Tyr gruffly. "I still hold that we have grown far too dependent upon Thor, All-Father. We have let him fight all our battles for us, while the rest of us have permitted our warrior-skills to grow rusty. Even with Thor away, we can still fight the legions from Jotunheim and Svartalfheim, and win. Although," he added, "I would be more confident of victory had that accursed Fenris-wolf not bitten off my sword-hand!" He looked down darkly at his right arm, which ended in a stump at the wrist.  
  
  
  
"We should ready ourselves for war," agreed Uller. "Alert the einherjar and the Valkyries, maybe even send to Alfheim and Vanaheim for reinforcements from our allies there. We shall need all the help that we can find."  
  
  
  
Odin nodded. "See to it," he said, rising from his throne. "Make you ready for the attack that will surely come." And with those words, he strode out from the hall.  
  
  
  
"Where are you going, father?" Balder asked, as he and the other Aesir followed their king out from Valaskjalf.  
  
  
  
"To consult with my two chief advisors," replied Odin. "I must hear their counsel, in this dark hour."  
  
  
  
And with those words, he walked on, leaving the rest of the Aesir staring after him with troubled hearts.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"So where do we begin?" Sam asked. "I mean, how do we track down Loki?"  
  
  
  
"That's not an easy question to answer," said King Eitri.  
  
  
  
"I agree," said Hlevang. "For one thing, few people in the nine worlds wish to find Loki - unless their reason for doing so is to know how to avoid him."  
  
  
  
"Yeah, but if he's got the other kids, then we definitely need to find him," said Sam. "Do you have any idea as to where we could go looking for him?"  
  
  
  
"He could be anywhere, for all that we know," said King Eitri. "But there is one person who might help you find him. The Volva."  
  
  
  
"The Volva?" Amara asked. "What's that?"  
  
  
  
"An ancient seer," answered the dwarf-king. "She knows not only the present, but also the future as well. It may well be that she can tell you where to find Loki and your companions from Midgard."  
  
  
  
"So where is she?" asked Sam. "How do we find her?"  
  
  
  
"It is not that simple," replied Eitri. "The Volva holds herself apart from everyone else. She dwells in her mound, to the north of Jarnvith, and does not take kindly to visitors. Only Odin has ever dared to consult her, and she does not welcome even him very often. I hardly think that she will gladly divulge her secrets to four youngsters from Midgard, in that case."  
  
  
  
"Well, we have to do something!" said Amara. "We don't have any other leads at present."  
  
  
  
"And as if that was not enough," said Hlevang, "remember, to reach her, you must pass through the Iron Forest a second time. And this will not be a simple foray to the Fountain of Lyfja and back, as was your first visit there, Master Guthrie. This will be an actual journey all the way through the wood, facing every peril that lurks within its eaves."  
  
  
  
"It cannae be all that dangerous," said Rahne. "Hrimhari was certainly good company."  
  
  
  
"But Hrimhari and his fellow wolves are not the only dwellers in the Iron Forest," said the Chancellor. "There are others, much worse. You were fortunate enough not to encounter them when you were there before, but the next occasion may be different. Indeed, it very likely will be, since you must traverse the Iron Forest in its entirety to reach the Volva's hill."  
  
  
  
"Well, like Amara said, we don't have any better hopes than that," said Sam. "We're just going to have to face its dangers all over again. I don't suppose that you're willing to give us some help this time."  
  
  
  
"I fear not," said King Eitri. "My people have now fully committed themselves to this war, by aiding you against the dark elves. But that means that now the lords of Svartalfheim will be turning their attention to Nidavellir - as may Loki himself, when he learns of this. There will be further attacks upon my kingdom, and I must prepare my people for them. We will need every dwarf here for the battle to come, and I can spare none of my folk now. The best that I can do for you is to offer the four of you provisions for the journey to come, and directions to the Volva's mound. That is all."  
  
  
  
"Well, it's better than nothing," said Amara. "We'll just have to accept that. And, thank you."  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Ah just hope that nobody says 'Ah get the feeling that we're not in Kansas any more'," commented Rogue, as she and the other X-Men stood in the middle of the forest clearing that Forge's dimensional gateway had transported them into.  
  
  
  
"Hopefully this is where they wound up," said Scott, looking down at the ground. "Although I don't see any sign of them."  
  
  
  
Wolverine sniffed the air sharply. "They were here, all right," he said. "A couple of days ago. Their scent's faint, but it's still lingering."  
  
  
  
"Can you tell which way they went?" Storm asked.  
  
  
  
"It's not fresh enough for that," Logan replied. "And there're no footprints about, either. They must have been covered by fresh snow since they left."  
  
  
  
"Great," said Kitty, shivering a little. "So that, like, leaves us with no idea as to which way they went? What do we do now?"  
  
  
  
"Get cold, mostly," said Evan, shivering like her. "I guess that we should have gotten some warm clothing to wear before we left. I certainly didn't think it was gonna be this much of a deep-freeze." He turned to his aunt. "Hey, Auntie O, I don't suppose that you could do something about this?"  
  
  
  
"There are limits to what my powers can do, Evan," said Storm. "I cannot change winter into summer - and I doubt that it would be safe to do so. The chaos that such an alteration in the weather patterns would cause could be far more dangerous to us than the current low temperatures are."  
  
  
  
"I'll say one thing," said Kurt. "It's times like these vhen I think that maybe being covered vith blue fur isn't so bad after all."  
  
  
  
"Well, I think that we'd better concentrate on finding some sort of shelter first," said Beast. "If this world is inhabited, then we might be able to find someone who can help us - perhaps even someone who's seen the younger students."  
  
  
  
"So which way do we go?" asked Rogue. "Ah mean, they all look pretty much the same to me."  
  
  
  
"Not quite," said Jean, looking towards the east. "I can see mountains in that direction, over in the distance. Mountains could mean caves - we could hole up in one of them for a while."  
  
  
  
"Ah don't know about that," said Rogue. "As Ah recall, the last time that Ah was in a cave in this kind of weather -"  
  
  
  
"Well, it's better than just standing around here," said Scott. "Come on, let's go."  
  
  
  
The nine mutants tramped off through the snow, heading towards the mountains in the east. 


	15. Answers

15. ANSWERS.  
  
Four young mutants made their way northwards through Jarnvith. Rahne, in wolf-form, led the way, sniffing the air for any sign of potential danger. Amara, Sam, and Jamie all followed her, Amara holding some fire in her hand to serve as a torch and provide them with light. Sam and Jamie were still wearing the dwarf-mail from Nidavellir's armories, though none had been given to either of the girls. Jamie was just raising that point now.  
  
"So why don't Amara and Rahne have to wear this stuff?" he asked. He was still feeling anything but enthusiastic over being burdened with the mail- coat, helmet, and shield that he had to bear.  
  
"Because the dwarves don't know how their mutant powers will affect the armor," said Sam, "and they don't want to take any chances. Rahne's armor might change with her, but we honestly don't know. And they're nervous that if Amara does any flaming while wearing armor - I mean, the really big sort - that the heat that she puts out could melt it."  
  
"But her clothes don't burn up whenever she does it," said Jamie. "Why would the armor be any different?"  
  
"That's what I asked them," said Sam. "And they said that, since the armor doesn't come from Earth, there's no telling how it'll respond to her powers. Besides, if she turns into her fire form, she obviously won't need armor. Any sword or spear would probably melt away before it ever reached her."  
  
"Why couldn't I have gotten to have a cool power like that?" Jamie asked, almost wailing now. "Then I wouldn't have to be carrying this stuff around. I mean, it's so heavy."  
  
"I know," said Sam. "You'd really think that those dwarves would have found some way of making a lightweight version."  
  
"Could you two please speak a little quieter?" said Amara to them just then. "We don't want everyone in this wood to know that we're here. Especially not after what those dwarves said about this place being inhabited, and not everything in this forest is as friendly as Rahne's new boy-friend."  
  
"He is nae my boy-friend!" cried Rahne, shifting back to human form just then, and blushing slightly. "He's just my friend, and nothing more than that!"  
  
"Well, excuse me," said Amara sharply.  
  
"Let's just move on, shall we?" said Sam hurriedly, before the two girls could enter a real argument. "I mean, the sooner that we get through this place, the sooner we can find the Volva."  
  
They headed on through the woods, going ever deeper. The shadows drew closer about them.  
  
* * *  
  
She awakened and lifted her great head, then sniffed the air. What was that smell? She had thought that she knew every odor to be found in the Iron Forest, but the scent that reached her nose was one that she had never encountered before. And yet it was also - inviting.  
  
"Prey," she murmured to herself. "New prey." And with those words, she rose to her feet, and began to make her way out of her den.  
  
* * *  
  
"Well, Hrothmar?" asked Heimir. "Have you seen anything?"  
  
"There is no sign of movement at the gates to Nidavellir," replied the dark elf knight. "The dwarves must have chosen to remain in their underground city, and not stir from it."  
  
"Very wise of them," said Heimir. "They know that they cannot hope to defeat us out in the open. Instead, they hide their heads in their delvings, where they have the advantage."  
  
"And we have lost it, now that the fire-witch has been taken," said Edric. "How now may we breach their defenses?"  
  
"I am still searching for a way," said Heimir sharply. "Have patience with me!"  
  
"All that I will say," commented Edric, "is that you'd do well to recover her, and capture the other Midgarders, before Loki learns of this. For he will not receive the tidings well."  
  
"I have no intent to let Loki learn of this setback," said Heimir. "And you would do well not to inform him behind my back, any of you. In the meantime, we must -". He broke off, as another dark elf joined them. This one wore no armor, but only a tunic, breeches, and mantle, with a dagger at his belt. "Yes, Heming?" asked Heimir, turning to the scout. "What have you to report?"  
  
"There are a group of travellers coming this way," said Heming.  
  
"Travellers?" asked Heimir. "What manner of folk are they? Elves, dwarves, trolls?"  
  
"Midgarders, like the younglings whom we seek, my lord," said Heming. "But they wear strange attire. And one of them is covered with fur, as though he were a great beast from the forest."  
  
"That is strange tidings, indeed," said Heimir. "Still, now that we know of them, we must deal with them at once. How far are they from here?"  
  
"They are still passing through the woods to the west, my lord," said Heimir.  
  
"Excellent," said Heimir. "Then we shall set an ambush for them. I know not whether they have aught to do with the youths whom Loki seeks, but even if they do not, we may still gain much by taking them prisoner. Let us make ready at once."  
  
"And Nidavellir, my lord?" asked Hrothmar. "What of it?"  
  
"King Eitri and his people will have to wait for a while," Heimir replied. "These Midgarders are of greater importance at present. We must find out all that we can about them. Follow me."  
  
* * *  
  
Wolverine motioned to the other X-Men. "Stop," he said. He sniffed the air, scowling as he did so.  
  
"What is it, Wolverine?" Scott asked him.  
  
"I can smell something coming closer," said Logan. "Kind of like people, but with an odd kind of odor to them. I haven't smelled anything like this before. But it doesn't seem friendly at all."  
  
"Why am Ah not surprised?" commented Rogue, in a low voice.  
  
"Do you think that it could have anything to do with the missing students?" Jean asked.  
  
"I don't know, Red," Wolverine replied gruffly. "But whatever it is, I'd say that it's trouble. And we'd better get ready for it."  
  
Even as he spoke, a net suddenly descended from the tree branches upon the nine X-Men. Or, to be more accurate, began to descend. Jean had enough time to slow its fall via her telekinesis for Scott's optic blasts and Wolverine's adamantium claws to quickly dispose of it, reducing it to fragments. "An ambush!" Logan growled.  
  
Even as he spoke, several armored figures broke out from the trees, swords and spears in hand, to attack the mutants. The X-Men formed in a circle, to fight off their assailants.  
  
"So who are these guys?" Kitty asked, phasing through one of the knights before he could strike her down.  
  
"The welcome wagon, I'd say," said Scott, letting out a blast from his eyes that shot the sword from the warrior charging at him out from his hand. "And not a very friendly one, at that."  
  
"You can say that again," said Kurt, teleporting onto a tree branch over his head just as two of the warriors ran at him from opposing directions - with the predictable result of their colliding with one another almost immediately afterwards.  
  
"I must admit that I find this most fascinating," said Beast, throwing a couple of knights off him when they attempted to grapple him, sending them flying into the ones just behind them. "Their garb looks straight out of northern Europe in the 11th century, at the end of the Viking Age. The authenticity is amazing."  
  
"Vikings?" said Evan, pinning another knight to the nearest tree branch by embedding his bone-spikes in the knight's cloak. "If these are Vikings, then where are all the horned helmets?"  
  
"A popular misconception, young man," Beast replied, disposing of another attacker. "Vikings only wore horned helmets for religious ceremonies, never for battle."  
  
"Can we save the history lesson for later, Hank?" asked Wolverine, his claws slicing through a spear-shaft. "I don't think that these guys came here to get an education."  
  
In a couple more minutes, the knights turned and retreated, except for the one who was still pinned by his cloak to the tree trunk. The X-Men surrounded him, as he struggled to free himself.  
  
"All right," said Wolverine, facing him. "Who are you, and why are you after us? We want some answers, bud, and we want 'em now!"  
  
"I will tell you nothing, Midgarders," said the knight in a defiant voice. Now that they had a better look at his face, they could see its almost alien features, the over-large eyes, almost non-existent nose, and pointed chin. "And I demand that you release me at once."  
  
"Oh, we'll let you go, all right," said Wolverine, waving his claws at him. "Once you start answering our questions. And I'm warning you, I can get pretty cranky if you don't cooperate."  
  
The knight looked uneasily at the claws, and then spoke. "My name is Hrothmar, and I am a housecarl from Svartalfheim," he said. "We assumed that you were more Midgarders, like the ones that we were seeking."  
  
"So you've seen others like us here?" asked Scott, moving forward. "What were they like?"  
  
"Four of them, little more than children," said Hrothmar. "My lord Heimir and my companions were instructed to capture them." He looked at them more closely. "You are in league with them, are you not? They are your kinsfolk?"  
  
"Well, kind of," said Scott. "So tell us everything that you can about them."  
  
"I know little," said Hrothmar. "But one is a werewolf, and one a maid who can transform herself into fire, and one a youth who can hurl himself against walls and shatter them, and one a boy who can transform himself into a small crowd."  
  
"Well, that accounts for Rahne, Amara, Sam, and Jamie," said Jean. "But what about the other four?"  
  
"I know of no other four," began Hrothmar. Wolverine snarled slightly, and waved his claws in a threatening way before his face. "No, I do," the knight went on, nervously. "Loki has them."  
  
"Loki?" asked Beast, looking startled. "Are you talking about whom I think you are?"  
  
"I cannot say," said Hrothmar. "Not unless I knew more of what you know."  
  
"What does Loki want with our friends?" Scott asked.  
  
"He wishes to employ them in his cause, to overthrow Odin and seize control of Asgard," said Hrothmar. "I have told you all that you can! Now please, let me go!"  
  
"Not so fast," replied Wolverine. "There's still one thing left. Where did you see those four kids last?"  
  
"Three were in the dwarf-city of Nidavellir to the east, in the mountains, the last that we knew," said Hrothmar. "The werewolf girl fled into the forest of Jarnvith, to the north and east, where we cannot follow her. But whether they are still there or not, I do not know. Now let me go, I implore you! I have told you all that you can!"  
  
Wolverine pulled the bone-spikes out from the tree. "All right, bub," he said. "You can go. But don't let us catch you giving us any more trouble next time, or I'm really not gonna take it well."  
  
The knight hurriedly rushed off into the shadows. The X-Men turned and looked at each other.  
  
It was Beast who spoke first. "Well, if what he told us was true, then the nature of this world is becoming much more apparent," he said. "It seems that Forge's device has transported us into another dimension, where Norse mythology is fact. And it appears, also, that the students have gotten themselves thoroughly involved in its local conflicts."  
  
"Which means that we'd better find them before they get into worse trouble," said Scott. "At least we know where to start looking for four of them."  
  
Storm nodded. "We will need to divide our forces, since they have apparently split up," she said. "Logan, Rogue, Evan, we will go in search of this forest of Jarnvith and see if Rahne is still there. The rest of you, seek out this dwarf-city of Nidavellir, and find out all that you can about the other students. When we have found out all that we can, we will reunite in this forest clearing, and decide our next move."  
  
"Very well, then," said Beast. "And best wishes to you on your search."  
  
The X-Men split into two groups, heading off in their separate directions. 


	16. Grandmother

16. GRANDMOTHER.  
  
"Did you hear something?" Jamie asked, in a nervous tone of voice.  
  
"Just the usual noises that you hear out in the woods," Sam replied. "Well, not that much, actually, but I didn't hear anything that sounded really weird."  
  
"I thought that I heard something," said the younger boy. "Off that way." He pointed towards the east.  
  
"What did it sound like?" Rahne asked.  
  
"I don't know," said Jamie. "It was just a noise, that's all. I couldn't hear it all that clearly."  
  
"It could have been anything, you know," said Amara. "A squirrel, maybe, or a deer, or even a falling branch."  
  
"Yeah, but after everything that I've heard about this place, I'm not so sure," said Sam. "I mean, after what the dwarves told us, it sounds as though most of the locals here aren't all that friendly. Well, other than Hrimhari," he added quickly, before Rahne could say anything.  
  
"What do we do if it isn't friendly?" Jamie asked. "And what if it wants to eat us?" He moved a little closer to Sam.  
  
"We'll worry about that when it happens," said Sam. "Come on, now. We can handle it, can't we?"  
  
Amara hesitated, then nodded. "I suppose so," she said. "All the same, though, I really wish that the others were here. I'd feel safer then."  
  
"So would I," said Jamie. Rahne said nothing, but shifted into her wolf- form, and sniffed the air. Then she quickly morphed back to her human-form, a very alarmed look on her face.  
  
"There is something comin' our way!" she said to them.  
  
"What is it, Rahne?" Sam asked her. "Can you tell by its smell?"  
  
"It's something like a wolf," she replied. "But not quite. There's something different aboot it."  
  
"Different?" asked Amara. "How is it different?"  
  
"I canna say," Rahne answered. "But I dinna like it. It feels - unfriendly. Very unfriendly."  
  
"That's not very comforting," said Sam. "So it's not this Hrimhari guy again, is it?"  
  
"No, it's definitely nae from him," she replied. "It's a new smell, entirely."  
  
"So what do we do?" Jamie asked.  
  
"Keep on walking," said Sam. "Head straight for the north edge of the woods, and don't stop for anything. Maybe we can get out of this place before it reaches us."  
  
"And if it does catch up with us first?" Amara inquired.  
  
"Then we'll just have to put up one big fight," said Sam. "Maybe we can drive it off, the same as we did the dark elves."  
  
"Very well, then," said Amara. "But if we all get killed and eaten by that thing, Sam Guthrie, then you will most certainly be feeling my displeasure."  
  
"If the two o' ye keep on arguin' like that, then that creature will almost certainly find us a lot sooner, unless it's stone-deaf," cut in Rahne sharply. "Less talk, and more speed."  
  
The four young mutants proceeded on through the woods. However, it was not long before they could hear something large making its way through the undergrowth to their right, drawing closer. And then, a long-drawn-out howl echoed, coming from the same direction.  
  
"Run!" shouted Rahne, changing into a wolf even as she did so. "Now!"  
  
The other three New Mutants followed after her, but Sam and Jamie were soon lagging behind.  
  
"What's the matter with you?" asked Amara, turning around and looking back at them. "That creature is after us! You two can't slow down now!"  
  
"Sorry, but this armor is a bit on the heavy side," replied Sam.  
  
"Then get rid of it!" shouted the Nova Roman princess.  
  
"Yeah, but if it does overtake us, then we're gonna need it," Sam replied. "The armor, I mean."  
  
"And if you keep the armor, then it's definitely going to overtake us," Amara retorted. "That's just like you boys, too. You would have to be clinging on to something so ridiculously macho. Why -"  
  
An even louder, closer howl cut her off. The four New Mutants halted and turned around, as an enormous shape emerged from the trees, and advanced upon them.  
  
It looked like a wolf, but much larger, almost the size of an elephant. On a closer inspection, however, the head did not appear to be entirely lupine in form. Rather, it was a blend between the features of a wolf and an old, lean-visaged, grey-haired hag. It stared down at the youngsters, blinking at them, and then snarled hungrily. Slaver formed at its mouth, and dripped down upon the ground with a hiss.  
  
"What is that thing?" asked Jamie.  
  
"I don't know!" cried Sam. "But I don't like the looks of it at all."  
  
Amara hurriedly produced a ball of fire and hurled it at the wolf-creature. The monster merely blew upon it as the fireball hurtled towards it, snuffing it out. Then it leaped at them, growling savagely.  
  
"Scatter!" shouted Sam. He and Amara ran one way, Jamie and Rahne the other.  
  
The wolf-creature paused, for a moment apparently uncertain over which two mutants to pursue. At last it turned towards Rahne and Jamie, and advanced upon them, with a howl.  
  
Rahne morphed into her wolf-form at once, and growled back at it, carefully standing between Jamie and the monster. The wolf-creature halted, and stared down at her, a look of utter astonishment upon its features.  
  
*What are you doing here?* it asked her. *Why do you run with the two-legs, little one?*  
  
*They're my friends!* Rahne replied, feeling astonished herself at being able to speak with this creature in the same way that she could with Hrimhari, but standing her ground all the same. *You mess with them, and you'll have to answer to me first!*  
  
*And you side with them against me?* the wolf-creature asked. *We have no business with the two-legs, nor should we. They are prey, not friends. Why do you defend them?*  
  
*Because I'm one of them,* Rahne said.  
  
The wolf-creature stared at her in complete and utter astonishment. *One of them?* it finally cried. *How is that possible? You are clearly a wolf!*  
  
*Not by birth,* the young mutant girl answered. *Here, I'll show you.* She shifted briefly into her human form, then reverted to a wolf. *I'm a human who can become a wolf when she wants to, that's all.*  
  
*So you are one of the two-legs, with the presumption to masquerade as one of my kind,* the wolf-creature shrieked, its eyes blazing in anger. *Then you are an abomination, and must be destroyed alongside them!*  
  
It lunged forward at Rahne, but before it could reach her a flash of grey rammed into it, knocking it onto its side. Hrimhari stood over the monster, growling fiercely.  
  
*You dare attack me?* cried the wolf-creature, staring at him in disbelief. *Your own grandmother?*  
  
*I will not let you harm her,* said Hrimhari. *Leave her and her friends in peace, and I will not have to fight you.*  
  
*You would take up the cause of the two-legs intruders against me?* his grandmother raged.  
  
*Yes, I do,* he answered.  
  
*Then you shall share their fate, traitor!* she roared. She rose to her feet and lunged at him.  
  
They fought back and forth, snarling and snapping at each other, tussling about upon the snow. The New Mutants hurriedly crowded together, watching the battle in horrified fascination.  
  
Amara raised one hand and produced a fireball. She was about to throw it at the wolf-creature, but Rahne shifted back into human form and stopped her.  
  
"Nae, Amara!" she cried. "Ye might hurt Hrimhari instead!"  
  
"But I've got to do something," Amara protested. "I don't think that your friend can hold out against that thing for very long. We've got to find some way of taking it down."  
  
"If Hrimhari can't do it, I'm not sure that we can either," said Sam. He raised his sword unsteadily. "I don't think that even this is gonna do that much good against her."  
  
Rahne ran at the wolf-creature, shifting into wolf-form as she did so. She leaped on its back and pawed at it fiercely. The creature shook itself, knocking her into the snow, then redoubled its attack upon an already- wearying Hrimhari.  
  
Hrimhari fought valiantly, but she was larger and stronger than he. She forced him onto his back and opened her jaws wide, preparing to lunge for his throat and deliver the final blow.  
  
Wolverine lunged out of the shadows and threw himself at her, with a snarl. The force of his impact was strong enough to bowl the wolf-creature over again. Hrimhari righted himself and stood on his feet again, if somewhat wobbily. Rahne rushed to his side to support him. Amara, Sam, and Jamie were too busy staring at Wolverine, however, to pay any attention.  
  
"Logan's here?" said Amara.  
  
"That's not all," said Jamie, looking up. Storm was swooping down, riding the winds on her cloak, while Rogue and Evan rushed up through the trees. "They've found us! Yay!"  
  
"You wanna pick on somebody smaller than yourself?" asked Wolverine, unleashing his claws as he faced the monster. "Then pick on me!"  
  
The wolf-creature snarled as it rushed at him, but before it could reach him Storm cried out in a commanding voice. "No! We have no time for further fighting!" She raised one hand and gestured imperiously as she spoke.  
  
A fierce wind promptly arose, blowing directly for the wolf-monster. She struggled against it, but it only grew the stronger, until she was forced backwards. Blasts of lightning shot down from the sky, only narrowly missing her. Thunder rumbled from the clouds above, growing steadily louder.  
  
At last, the wolf-creature turned and fled, howling in frustrated fury. She vanished into the tree-cast shadows. Once she was out of sight, Storm gestured, and the fury of the elements subsided.  
  
"All right, you lot," said Wolverine, looking the four New Mutants straight in the eye (Rahne had returned to human form and joined them). "You wanna tell me just what you've been up to here?"  
  
"And where did the other wolf come from?" asked Evan, staring at Hrimhari. "That's what I'd really like to know."  
  
"I'm more than a little surprised to see it myself," said Storm, "but that can wait until later. As Logan said, just now, the four of you have much explaining to do."  
  
"Well, Bobby wanted to see what Forge was up to," said Sam in a nervous tone of voice. "So I broke down the door so that he could have a look inside. It's my fault. But it isn't theirs," he went on, indicating the other New Mutants as he spoke. "They actually tried to stop us from fooling around with the equipment, especially Amara."  
  
"Thank you," said the Nova Roman princess, in a rather stiff tone of voice, but with a look of relief in her eyes all the same.  
  
"Well, we'll sort all this out back at the mansion," said Wolverine gruffly. "What I want to know right now is just what you kids were doing, getting into a fight with that monster - and what is this other wolf doing here?"  
  
"That's a long story," said Rahne. "We can tell it to ye on the way to the Volva's mound."  
  
"The Volva's mound?" Rogue asked. "What's that?"  
  
"We'll explain about that as well," said Amara. "But we really ought to go there."  
  
"We should be taking you kids back home," said Wolverine. "And as soon as we find the other four, that's just what we'll be doing."  
  
"We know," said Sam. "But we need to find the Volva in order to find Bobby and the others. That's why we're headed there."  
  
Wolverine and Storm looked at each other doubtfully, as did Rogue and Evan. At last, Logan spoke in a grumbling way.  
  
"All right," he said. "We'll find this Volva or whatever it is with you. But there had better be a good explanation for this. And you're all still in a lot of trouble when you get back. Now start talking about what this is all about on the way. And I still want to know who this furry friend of yours is," he added, glancing to Hrimhari, who was staring back at him cautiously.  
  
"Well, it began like this..." said Sam. 


	17. At the Volva's Mound

17. AT THE VOLVA'S MOUND.  
  
"You know, this would work a lot better if, like, we knew what a dwarf-city looks like," said Kitty. She and the other X-Men had reached the mountains and were now searching for some sign that the underground city of Nidavellir was close by.  
  
"We probably should have asked that fellow for some proper directions," said Scott glumly. "I don't know why I didn't think of that."  
  
"Well, it's too late for that now," said Beast. "But all's not lost. There are other ways to find this place."  
  
"How's that?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Well, first of all, there are going to have to be some traces of habitation about, unless these dwarves are extremely good at covering up their tracks," said Beast. "For example, they'll need ventilation shafts of some sort, to supply them with clean air from outside. Also, they'll need to go out to the surface at times, so there'll have to be entrances around. No doubt they'll be cleverly disguised, but if we keep on searching long enough, we'll be able to find them."  
  
"Maybe Jean could use her telepathy to search for them, as vell," suggested Kurt.  
  
"I'm not so certain about that," said Jean. "I've never had telepathic contact with a dwarf before, so I might not be able to recognize their thought-patterns. Besides, I'd need to have a specific direction to search in. I can't just go looking everywhere."  
  
"Well, let's keep on looking," said Scott. "Hopefully we can find some trace of them soon."  
  
"We'd better," said Kitty. "Because this place, like, still gives me the creeps." As an afterthought, she added, "I wonder, like, how it is with the others."  
  
* * *  
  
"That looks like it could be it up ahead," said Sam. He pointed at a low rounded mound covered with a thick blanket of snow, a few hundred yards before them.  
  
"You're sure of that?" Logan asked. "Remember, you're not exactly using first-hand information here."  
  
"Yeah, but it does answer the description pretty well," said Sam. "Don't you agree?" he asked, turning to the other New Mutants.  
  
"It certainly appears that way," said Amara. "Though I don't see any sign of anyone there. I hope that she's not away."  
  
"Well, you don't seriously think that she's going to be camping out here in this kind of weather, do you?" Rogue asked. "Honestly, Ah can't see why anybody would want to live on a hill like this one instead of in a house. Preferably one with a king-sized fireplace or central heating."  
  
Rahne spoke in a low voice. "Someone's coming this way," she said. "I can smell him."  
  
"So can I," agreed Wolverine. "Odd kind of smell, though. I never met anything like that before. Kind of like a human, but not quite. There's something weird about it."  
  
"I think that we should conceal ourselves first and see who it is, before taking further action," said Storm. "Back into the trees, all of you."  
  
They withdrew into the woods, although Wolverine was still grumbling a little at the prospect of retreating from a potential fight. From there, they watched.  
  
Soon an old man came into view, approaching the mound. He had a long grey tangled beard and wore grey tattered and weather-stained clothing: a long robe, a dark blue cloak, and a floppy broad-brimmed hat that was tilted down over one eye. He leaned on a great ash-wood staff to help guide his steps. He halted before the mound, and then spoke.  
  
"Hear me, Volva!" he cried in a loud voice, one much more vigorous than the watchers would have expected from his elderly appearance. "Arise and speak! I seek your counsel."  
  
A high wind whirled around the hill, and then a pale blue mist arose from it, coalescing into a form. A figure in a hooded blue robe stood at the top of the mound, and gazed down at the old man.  
  
"So you have come again," it said, in a woman's voice with a hollow quality. "I trust that you have a good reason for disturbing my rest, old wanderer."  
  
Rogue started as she spoke. "Ah know that voice," she whispered, more to herself than to the other X-Men.  
  
"Volva, I am in need of your words," said the old man. "Asgard is threatened by a great army of frost giants and trolls and dark elves. The traitor Loki is at their head, and we cannot count on Thor's aid this time to rout them. I stand in need of your wisdom to guide me in this dark hour."  
  
"You have other advisors to consult," said the Volva sharply. "Why not speak with them instead?"  
  
"I have already spoken with Mimir's head, but it spoke only in riddles that even I could not fathom," said the old man. "Volva, have the final days come? Is our twilight at hand?"  
  
"You should know better than to ask me that," said the Volva. "Has the Fimbul-winter raged across the nine worlds? Has the Fenris-wolf broken his fetters and the Midgard Serpent risen from the ocean depths? Has the ship Naglfar been launched? Have Surtur and his folk issued forth from Muspelheim? No, this is not the time for Ragnarok. You should recognize it yourself when the time comes, old wanderer. Indeed, the Thunderer would still stand by your side were that the case, to battle Jormungand as the prophecies state. What you are facing is only a lesser battle, although greater than those that you have had to fight for many ages."  
  
"But still, the storm that is coming is greater than any that we have faced before, and Thor is not with us to help us," said the old man. "Perhaps indeed we have grown too dependent upon him and his hammer, as Tyr said, but still, his absence weakens us. How may we withstand the onslaught?"  
  
"You will find the answer yourself, old one," replied the Volva. "It is close at hand. But I have said enough. Now I return to my sleep." She began to sink into the mound.  
  
"That is not enough!" cried the old man, in an almost frantic tone of voice. "I must know more!"  
  
"And so do we," said Sam, bursting forward. Rogue ran after him, attempting to pull him back but without success.  
  
The Volva turned her shrouded head towards the newcomers. "Go your way, strangers," she said. "I have nothing further to say unto you."  
  
"But we need your help!" Sam protested. "We're looking for Loki and we need you to find him!"  
  
"You are either very bold or very foolish to seek out the trickster," said the Volva in a severe tone of voice. "You must attend to him yourselves, without my words. Now go."  
  
"But -" began Sam. He turned to Rogue. "Can't you do something?" he asked her.  
  
"Well, Ah still think that we're only going to get ourselves in bigger trouble than before if we go around arguing with her," said Rogue. "But if you insist -". She walked towards the Volva, who was beginning to sink back into her mound, and spoke. "Listen, maybe you don't want to help us, but we still need it. We need to find our friends, and we can't do it without you lending a hand!"  
  
The Volva turned her head and stared Rogue straight in the eyes. As she did so, Rogue saw what lay beneath her hood, and stared in amazement. She had seen that face, or one very similar to it, before and knew it well. The Volva's features were an almost perfect duplicate of Irene's, except that she lacked the dark glasses that Rogue's guardian had worn. Her eyes were white, without pupils or irises, and staring into them was like staring into an endless void. Rogue felt for a moment as though she was standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down from a tremendous height.  
  
"You will find your companions, but not with my aid," said the Volva. She then turned back to the old man, who had been watching the conversation between her and the mutants in silence, still leaning on his ashwood staff. "I have told you all that I can, old one," she said. "Now go, and do not trouble me again." Then she disappeared into the mound.  
  
"No!" shouted Sam. "Come back!" But there was no answer. The mound remained still and silent.  
  
"We came all this way for nothing!" the Kentucky mutant cried. "That old lady was our only hope, and she let us down! Now what are we going to do?"  
  
"What Ah want to know is why she looked so much like Irene," said Rogue. "Ah mean, is this how this place works? Is Loki going to look like Magneto when we run into him?"  
  
"Is it safe for the rest of us to come out now?" asked Amara, emerging from the trees with Jamie, Rahne, and Evan. Storm and Wolverine followed, but Hrimhari waited just within the forest.  
  
"Ah suppose so," said Rogue. "Though it looks as though we're going to have to rejoin Scott and the others now. Ah hope that that doesn't mean we'll have to go back through that forest again."  
  
"And who are you strangers?" the old man asked, turning towards the mutants. "I have certainly never seen you folk in these parts, and I have lived here for a long time."  
  
"You might as well tell us who you are first, old guy," said Wolverine.  
  
"My name is Vegtam son of Valtam," said the old man, in a stiffly dignified tone. "And now I would have your names in return. And what business have you in these parts? I thought that I was the only one who came to consult the seeress."  
  
"It's a long story," said Wolverine. "And we're not in the habit of telling strangers our problems."  
  
"I would suggest that you make an exception for this occasion," said Vegtam sternly.  
  
"Look, old-timer," replied Logan sharply. "I don't appreciate people like you poking your noses into our business. So I'd say that you'd better be on your way and let us go off our own way."  
  
"Do not provoke me, warrior of short stature," said Vegtam. He seemed to grow taller, and his voice rang out with a tone of command. "I am more than I appear to be."  
  
"Yeah, well, so are we," said Wolverine, unsheathing his claws with a "snikkt". "So you'd better watch it, bub."  
  
"Indeed?" asked Vegtam. He was standing fully erect now, his one eye shining as though it was beginning to glow. "I believe that it is you who should be the cautious ones."  
  
Wolverine growled in response. Storm spoke up, however, before he could do anything more than that.  
  
"No, Logan," she said. "We have enough troubles upon our hands without adding to them. Let us not fight with this man as well."  
  
"She's got a point," said Rogue. "Ah've got the feeling that this guy's a lot tougher than he looks."  
  
"All right," said Wolverine reluctantly, sheathing his claws. "But I still don't like just anybody walking up to us and asking us a lot of questions, especially in a place like this."  
  
"If we are to work together, then we will need to share the information that we have with each other," said Vegtam.  
  
"And who said anything about us working together?" Wolverine asked at once.  
  
"It makes sense, does it not?" said the old man. "I may not know your entire tale, but this I do know from the words that you have spoken as yet. It appears that you have trouble with Loki Laufeyson. Is that not true?"  
  
"Yeah, it is," said Sam.  
  
"Then we share a common foe," said Vegtam. "In which case it would only make sense for us to form a league to thwart him. If we combine our forces, we may well be able to defeat him."  
  
"Perhaps," said Wolverine, still looking suspiciously at the old wanderer.  
  
"What you say makes sense indeed," said Storm. "But we should find the rest of our party first, before we proceed any further. They should have their say on this matter as well."  
  
"The rest of your party?" asked the old man. "So there are others like you in these parts?"  
  
"Indeed there are," said Storm. "Since our journey here is over, it is time for us to rejoin them."  
  
"In that case, I will come with you," said Vegtam. "And along the way, you can tell me more of your tale and what manner of folk you are. Clearly you are no ordinary Midgarders; that much I have seen already. I would gladly know much more about you." He glanced over in the direction of the Iron Forest. "And the wolf can come too," he added.  
  
"How did ye know about him?" asked Rahne.  
  
"I may have only one eye, little maid, but I am not blind," replied Vegtam. "It is clear that he is a companion of yours, so he may as well accompany us."  
  
Hrimhari emerged from the woods, and sniffed at the old man intently. A look of awe came over his features, and he stepped back a pace hesitantly.  
  
"So where are you going?" Vegtam asked, after nodding a trifle absently in the wolf's direction.  
  
"Back to the mountains south of here, on the other side of the forest," said Storm. "We parted from our friends in those parts."  
  
"That is not far from Nidavellir," said Vegtam thoughtfully. "It has been a while since I was last there, but I still remember it well. Perhaps it is time that I paid the dwarf-folk another visit. I will certainly need their assistance now."  
  
He strode off southwards, walking at a much greater speed than one would have expected from an old man with a staff. The X-Men watched him go, then turned to each other for a moment.  
  
"Are we really teaming up with him?" asked Wolverine. "I'm not quite sure that I trust this guy. There's too much about him that I don't know, and I don't like it."  
  
"I also wish that we knew more of his nature," said Storm. "But what he says makes sense. It appears that he has no greater liking for Loki than do we, and he knows this world better than we do. I believe that we must join forces with him."  
  
"Hrimhari certainly thinks that there's something about him," said Rahne. "And that's good enough for me."  
  
"All right, then," said Wolverine, with a sigh. "We'll go with him. But I'm keeping an eye on him all the same. That guy seems to know more about us than he's telling, and somebody had better make sure that we don't get into trouble with him. Especially not since we've got enough problems already. Now let's move."  
  
They followed after Vegtam through the snow, leaving the Volva's mound once again silent and undisturbed. 


	18. Nidavellir Again

18. NIDAVELLIR AGAIN.  
  
"Found anything yet?" asked Scott, as he and Jean rejoined the other three members of their party.  
  
"Still nothing," replied Beast. "Either these dwarves are astonishingly clever at concealing the entrance to their homes, or else we're in the wrong part of the mountains altogether. At this point, I'm not even going to guess as to which it is."  
  
"Jean, I think that we're going to have to try scanning those mountains with your telepathy," said Scott. "That's the only way that I can think of for us to locate those guys."  
  
"I still don't think that that'll work," replied Jean doubtfully. "But if you guys really insist - well, here goes nothing."  
  
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Scott, Kurt, Kitty, and Beast watched in silence.  
  
Minutes passed, and the expression upon Jean's face became increasingly strained. She appeared now to be struggling hard against something, and let out a gasp. Scott stepped towards her uncertainly, but she opened her eyes just then, swaying back and forth unsteadily as she did so.  
  
"I thought that I'd made contact with something," she said, "but I couldn't be certain. It was just too - different."  
  
"Different?" asked Kurt. "Vhat do you mean?"  
  
"Well, it's hard to describe," said Jean. "It was almost like coming into contact with rocks that had become alive. I know that it sounds crazy, but that's how it felt to me."  
  
"Well, we are searching for dwarves in a world which is clearly connnected somehow to Norse mythology," said Beast. "And I understand that in the Norse myths, dwarves were subterranean people, partaking of the nature of stone and earth. So that description of yours might indeed make sense, Jean."  
  
"We're looking for living rocks?" asked Kitty. "Like, you know, this is making this adventure all the more totally creepy."  
  
"Well, we don't have any choice," said Scott. "These dwarves are probably the only people who can help us find the missing students. They're certainly the only lead that we've got. We have to find them somehow."  
  
"Actually, I would say that we have found you," replied a gruff voice.  
  
The X-Men turned in the direction of the speaker. A small troop of what appeared to be very short men with long beards, dressed in mail-coats and helmets and carrying axes and shields, had emerged from the rocks and was slowly surrounding the mutants, gazing at them suspiciously.  
  
"Ah, I suppose that you're the people that we've been looking for," said Beast to the newcomers at once. "Perhaps you can help us. You see, we were wondering if you'd seen three youngsters in this area."  
  
"By all rights, I should be the one setting the questions to you," said the leader of the dwarves sharply. "You are intruding upon our lands. State your names and your business now."  
  
"We come in peace, I assure you," said Beast. "My name is Henry McCoy, and these are four students in my charge. We are looking for three friends of ours, and thought that you might have seen them."  
  
"Friends?" asked the dwarf leader, looking at Beast closely. "And just who might these friends of yours be?"  
  
"They are youngsters from our homeland," said Beast calmly. "You might know them if you've seen them."  
  
"Yeah," said Scott. "There's a lanky blond boy, a dark-haired girl, and a small brown-haired boy."  
  
"You must be speaking of the three young Midgarders that we gave shelter to," said the dwarf leader. "For they indeed answer to those descriptions." He looked at them closely before continuing. "Is the werewolf girl also one of your friends?" he asked.  
  
"Rahne?" cried Jean. "She's been here as well?"  
  
"So you do know her," said the dwarf. "Or at least know of her. That may be a good sign. However, that is up to King Eitri to decide. We are taking you to see him now. Come with us."  
  
"So, like, what do we do now?" asked Kitty apprehensively.  
  
"Go with them, of course," said Scott.  
  
"You, like, can't be serious!"  
  
"No, I agree with Scott on this matter," said Beast. "These people have clearly met our friends, and the best way for us to find out just what has happened to them is to come with them."  
  
"All right," said Kitty, as the five mutants set off with the dwarves. The stocky little men surrounded them, more as if the X-Men were their prisoners rather than invited guests. "But, like, I've still got a bad feeling about this."  
  
* * *  
  
King Eitri stared down at the newcomers that stood in a group before his throne. "Five more of you?" he asked. "Why is it that so many of you Midgarders are coming to these parts now, after so many years?"  
  
"It's a long story, Your Majesty," said Scott. "You see, a friend of ours rigged up some kind of dimensional portal, and some other friends of ours got sucked into it."  
  
"The four younglings from Midgard who came here earlier," said King Eitri. "Yes, I know of them. They are not here at present, however."  
  
"Well, do you know where they've gone?" Jean asked. "Because we really need to find them. Actually, we really need to find all eight of them."  
  
"That might well be difficult," said King Eitri. "The other four young Midgarders, from what we have been able to learn, have apparently been recruited by Loki for some great assault upon Asgard that he is planning. It appears that he wishes to exploit their abilities for the purpose."  
  
"And you don't know where we can find him?" Scott asked.  
  
"We do not know Loki's whereabouts," said the dwarf king. "So we are unable to assist you in that matter, just as we were unable to assist your friends. We advised them to consult the Volva instead."  
  
"A Volvo?" asked Kurt, looking puzzled. "I didn't think that this vorld even had any cars."  
  
"He said 'Volva', not 'Volvo'," said Jean. She paused, an uncertain look upon her own face. "What is a Volva?"  
  
"That question would be more accurately, 'What is the Volva,'" replied King Eitri. "There is only one of her. She is an ancient seeress, who lives in her mound to the north of the forest of Jarnvith."  
  
"Well, can you give us directions to her mound, then?" asked Scott. "Because it's vitally important that we find them."  
  
"I very much doubt that you will find them there," said the dwarf king. "They have already left for there long before your arrival, and I do not think that they will linger there once they have learned from her what they will need to know. By the time that you reach the mound, they will have already gone on their way somewhere else."  
  
"But we could, like, ask her which way they went?" asked Kitty.  
  
"You might ask her, yes," said King Eitri. "But it is very unlikely that she will answer you. The Volva does not share her wisdom willingly with others. Indeed, I will be very much surprised if she has even deigned to answer the questions that your friends ask her. No, I very much doubt that you'll receive any help from her."  
  
"Then what are we going to do?" Jean asked, in near-frustration. "I mean, we have to find them!"  
  
"I can sympathize with your desire to find your friends, maid of Midgard," said King Eitri. "But I can provide you with no further assistance than I have already given you. You are on your own now, I fear."  
  
"So in other words, we'll have to search through this entire world for them, and we don't even know how big it is," said Scott. "This could take years." He groaned. "Why couldn't we have found some way of getting Cerebro into this world?"  
  
"We'll think of something, Scott," said Jean. "Besides, remember, we're not the only ones looking for the students. Maybe Wolverine and the others will find them. I mean, Wolverine's got his tracking ability."  
  
"Yeah, I'd forgotten about that," said Scott.  
  
There was suddenly a blast of horns from outside, and a dwarf entered the hall. "Sire," he said, bowing before King Eitri.  
  
"Yes, Eikinskjaldi?" asked King Eitri. "What is it?"  
  
"The younglings from Midgard have returned, with friends," said Eikinskjaldi. "And one of them is an old man with a staff, who craves an audience with you at once."  
  
"An old man with a staff," said King Eitri. He had a thoughtful look upon his face. "Tell me, does he have one eye or two?"  
  
"Only one, sire," said Eikinskjaldi.  
  
"I might have known," said the dwarf-king. "Well, admit them, by all means."  
  
The doors swung open all the way, and the four missing students, accompanied by Storm's party, came in. Jamie and Sam were both wearing chainmail and helmets and carrying shields, with swords at their belts, both looking considerably awkward with their metal gear. With them was an old man with a long beard, his floppy broad-brimmed hat pulled down low over one eye, and bearing an ash-wood staff.  
  
"King Eitri," said the old man, walking up to the dais, not even glancing for a moment at the X-Men standing beside him.  
  
"So you have come," said King Eitri, rising from his chair. "It clearly is you, then."  
  
The old man nodded. "We have much to discuss, you and I, but it must be apart. If we might converse in a more private chamber -".  
  
"Of course," said King Eitri. He turned to his chancellor. "Hlevang, attend to matters here. I must speak with my guest alone."  
  
"As you wish, sire," said Hlevang.  
  
The dwarf-king rose from his throne and followed the old man out of the hall. The X-Men paid them little attention, however, being too busy with their reunion.  
  
"Well, I'd say that you four have a lot of explaining to do," said Scott to the New Mutants. "Running off like that, getting us worried, and all the rest."  
  
"Could you save it, Scott, please?" asked Sam. "I mean, we've already had one lecture about it from Wolverine already. And that's more than enough."  
  
"So vhat are you two doing in all that armor, anyvay?" Kurt asked Sam and Jamie.  
  
"Yeah," said Kitty. "You look like you're, like, going to a costume party or something like that."  
  
"It's kind of complicated," said Sam. "We'll fill you in. Along with all the other things that we'll fill you in on."  
  
"Why do I have the feeling that this is going to be a long afternoon?" said Scott, to nobody in particular. 


	19. Crossing the Kerlaugar

19. CROSSING THE KERLAUGAR.  
  
"What a day!" moaned Jubilee, dismounting and rubbing her backside  
painfully. "One more like this and I'm going to be bow-legged for life."  
  
"Amen to that," said Roberto. "I never want to go horse-riding again as  
long as I live."  
  
"I never want to even see another horse," said Ray with a groan. "Just  
how much further is it until we reach this Kerlaugar River, anyway?"  
  
"What are you looking at me for?" asked Bobby.  
  
"Well, you're the one who got us into this mess to begin with," said Ray.  
  
"That doesn't mean anything!" Bobby protested. "I don't know anything  
more about it than you guys do! Loki certainly hasn't shared any  
information about it with me!"  
  
"Maybe he'd tell us if we asked him," suggested Roberto.  
  
"Fat chance of that," said Ray. "To him, we're just another group of  
weapons. He's probably just going to keep on using us until we wear  
ourselves out, and then put us out to pasture like a bunch of broken  
nags."  
  
"Could you use a different example, please?" groaned Jubilee. "Something  
that doesn't have anything to do with horses?"  
  
"We're going to have to find some way of breaking out of here," said  
Roberto.  
  
"And just how are we going to do that?" Ray asked. "We can't fight Loki  
and his friends because of that stupid contract, remember? And we can't  
go sneaking off, either! They'd only track us down."  
  
"Well, what are we supposed to do, then?" asked Roberto. "Wait for the  
others to show up and rescue us? We don't even know if they're still out  
there or not. For all that we know, Loki could have grabbed them as well.  
And the others back at the Institute don't even know where we are. I'd  
say that we're on our own here."  
  
"Just give me a moment," said Bobby. "I'll think of something."  
  
"You'd better," said Ray darkly. "Otherwise I'm going to be testing my  
new medallion's effects on my mutant powers on you."  
  
Before Bobby could make any reply, a troll walked up to them. "You four,"  
it said to them in a grunting voice. "Here's your food." It placed four  
large plates filled with a very unappetizing-looking stew down upon the  
ground before them, then turned and walked away.  
  
"Did I mention what I thought of the kind of food they're giving us?"  
asked Ray, looking at his portion in disgust. "Even the stuff I ate  
before coming to the Institute was better than this!"  
  
"Your folks' cooking was that bad?" Bobby asked.  
  
Ray said nothing, merely looking over the food on his plate in a surly  
silence. The other three mutants glanced uncomfortably at each other,  
then began to eat. They were all curious about Ray's background; he was  
the only member of the team who had never talked about where he had come  
from, and the Professor himself had kept mum about just how he had first  
made contact with the youth and brought him to the Institute. But it was  
clear enough to all of them that he wasn't in the mood to start opening  
up to them now. In any case, they had too many other things on their  
minds to pursue this mystery further.  
  
"Even Kitty cooks better than this," said Roberto, with a moan.  
  
* * *  
  
"Is it much further?" asked Bobby. It was afternoon of the following day,  
and they had been riding on in the company of Loki's army since only  
shortly after dawn. The saddle-sores that they had undergone the previous  
day were now growing steadily worse. Even walking was starting to seem  
better than this.  
  
"No, not much further," said Loki, riding just ahead of them, in an off-  
hand sort of voice. He did not appear to be suffering any discomfort at  
all, despite the fact that he had been mounted up on a horse just as long  
as they had. It figures, Bobby thought bitterly.  
  
Bobby did not feel entirely reassured by those words. They sounded too  
much like the sort of things that his parents had said to him on family  
vacations whenever he had asked that question. However, he decided  
against asking Loki to be more specific. He was certain that doing that  
would be a very bad idea.  
  
He glanced back at the army following them. The frost giants, trolls, and  
dark elves seemed much less troubled about the whole affair than Bobby  
and his friends were. But he felt not the least bit surprised about it.  
After all, he reflected, they were the ones who really did hate the Aesir  
and wanted to sack Asgard. They hadn't been duped into this expedition.  
He still couldn't believe that he and the others were actually helping  
these people. Jubilee was right, he thought. With this on my record, I  
probably would wind up signing us up for the Brotherhood.  
  
He glanced sideways at the others. Jubilee and Roberto did not meet his  
gaze, but turned away from him, while Ray merely glowered at him in such  
a way as to suggest that he would very much like to blast Bobby with a  
bolt of electricity once he had the opportunity to do so. Bobby sighed.  
Right now, he was almost tempted to hope for a quick demise when they did  
attack Asgard.  
  
"Halt!" cried Loki, reining in his horse ahead. "Here we are."  
  
Bobby and the other New Mutants halted their horses just behind his, as  
they saw what lay before them. Only a few yards away, a great river cut  
through the ground, foaming and churning. Its waters appeared half cloud-  
like, billowing wildly. Beyond the river, the ground began to rise,  
moving upwards. At the top was what appeared to be a walled city,  
battlemented and turreted in the style of a medieval castle. A faint  
shimmering glow came from its walls.  
  
"The river Kerlaugar," said Loki. "Our only obstacle before we reach the  
walls of Asgard. This is where you come in, Master Drake," he added,  
turning to Bobby and looking at him meaningfully.  
  
"Yes, sir," said Bobby.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Loki asked. "We do not have all day,  
after all. I want to see some results from you."  
  
Bobby nodded glumly, and rode forward until he was almost at the very  
edge of the river bank. Then he pointed the fingers of both hands at the  
cloud-like water below.  
  
The result was enough to take him by surprise, even though he had been  
freezing things for several months now. A powerful arctic blast shot out  
from his hands, encasing the entire river for as far as he could see in  
both directions. The water stiffened, turning to ice, groaning as it did  
so. At the same time, Bobby slumped forward, managing to cling onto the  
reins and keep himself from falling off only barely, staying conscious  
with a supreme effort.  
  
"Bobby, are you all right?" asked Jubilee. She, Roberto, and even Ray  
rode up to him, all three of them looking at him concernedly.  
  
"That took a lot out of me," said Bobby, in a weak voice. "I mean,  
freezing an entire river, and especially one that big."  
  
"Our first obstacle has been removed," said Loki to his army, ignoring  
Bobby's plight. "It is time to move forward, before the Kerlaugar reverts  
to normal. Across the river, all of you!"  
  
Turning to the four New Mutants, he added, "And that applies to you as  
well. No tarrying here! Go!"  
  
"Bobby badly strained himself freezing that river for you!" protested  
Roberto. "He needs time to rest!"  
  
"He can rest on the way to the walls of Asgard," said Loki. "And as for  
you, I want no further insolence from you, young Midgarder. I need you  
for now, but defy me again and you will have good reason to regret it  
once this is over. Now, forward!"  
  
The four New Mutants followed him across the frozen surface of the  
Kerlaugar, Bobby still looking the worse for wear and barely clinging  
onto his horse. Jubilee, Roberto, and Ray all gazed across him  
uncomfortably at each other.  
  
"Cannon fodder," said Ray grimly. "That's all we are to him. Cannon  
fodder." 


	20. The Eve of Battle

So sorry for having taken so long to get this next chapter written. I hope that this new instalment makes up for the long delay.  
  
20. THE EVE OF BATTLE.  
  
"So everything that we have heard is correct," said King Eitri thoughtfully, standing opposite the old one-eyed man in his private chamber. "Loki has indeed launched his assault upon Asgard with the aid of the other young Midgarders, the ones as yet unaccounted for."  
  
"It is even so," said the old man. "And with their aid, he hopes to conquer the Aesir, especially now that Thor and his hammer are gone. And it is entirely possible that he may succeed."  
  
"And once Asgard falls, the rest of the nine worlds will be certain to follow," said Eitri. "Including Nidavellir."  
  
"So you understand the importance of thwarting him," said the old man. "We must have all the help that we can find, and recalling Thor from Midgard is out of the question until he has fully learned his lesson. But that does not mean that there are not others from the human world who may be of assistance."  
  
"The friends of those whom Loki has bound to his service," said the dwarf- king. "But can they be enough, do you think, All-Father?"  
  
"I do not know for certain," said Odin. "But what little I was able to glean from Mimir's head and from the Volva suggests that they are the answer. Certainly I can think of no better allies. They, at least, have every incentive to rescue their companions from the trickster, so it will not be difficult to gain their aid. And I understand that they have abilities of their own, such as I have seldom seen before among the descendants of Ask and Embla. Midgard has indeed changed much over the centuries."  
  
"Most of them are little more than children," said King Eitri.  
  
"That is true," Odin replied. "But their gifts still make them formidable warriors. And with Thor in exile, Asgard will need all the help that it can find."  
  
"So you intend to press them into service, somehow, All-Father?" Eitri inquired. "I mean - you decreed yourself that Midgard was now outside your jurisdiction and that of the other Aesir. You do not intend to revoke your word, do you?"  
  
"No," said Odin. "But the circumstances here are unusual. These Midgarders are now in lands where my sway still holds. And, even more importantly, their cause is the same as mine. They have as much reason for wishing to foil Loki's assault upon Asgard as do I, if for different reasons. And I would not call them followers of the same sort as are the einherjar in Valhalla, either. Rather I would call them allies."  
  
"And what of my own folk?" King Eitri inquired. "Do we have a place as well in this coming war?"  
  
"I believe so," said Odin. "We will need the help of all who do not wish to see Loki and his supporters conquering the nine worlds - and I know that you no more wish such an event than do I. The dwarf-folk of Nidavellir are stout warriors when they must assume such a role, and even greater armorers. I still do not forget how you crafted Mjolnir, or how the sons of Ivaldi made my own spear Gungnir. Yes, you indeed have a place."  
  
"So when do you intend to speak with the young Midgarders?" King Eitri asked.  
  
"Very soon," said Odin. "But not yet. I need to wait a while longer, and make certain of them."  
  
* * *  
  
"Where's Rahne gone?" Kitty asked.  
  
"Back outside, to talk to Hrimhari," said Sam.  
  
"Who's Hrimhari?" Kurt asked.  
  
"A wolf that she made friends with," said Sam. "That's still the part that I'm having difficulty understanding myself, so please don't saddle me with a lot of questions about it."  
  
"Rahne made friends with a wolf?" asked Scott. "When did this happen?"  
  
"While we were split up," said Sam. "Jamie and I were here, and Amara was - well, not quite herself."  
  
"I just hope that she doesn't plan on bringing that animal home with her," said Scott. "We've got enough shedding problems around the mansion as it is. Sorry," he added quickly, as both Kurt and Beast looked at him with hurt expressions upon their faces.  
  
"I don't think that she's planning on it," said Sam. "I get the feeling that she sees him as a friend rather than a pet."  
  
"So, like, what are they talking about?" asked Kitty.  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine," Sam replied.  
  
* * *  
  
*So, is anything bothering you?* Rahne asked Hrimhari. *You've seemed - kind of upset about something.*  
  
*I have good reason to be troubled,* Hrimhari replied. *I fear that I can never go home now.*  
  
*Why?* she asked.  
  
*I fought against my grandmother,* he said. *It was to protect you and your friends, but still, I fought against her. She will not forget it. And I fear that she will respond by declaring me forever banished from the Iron Forest.*  
  
*She wouldn't do that, would she?* Rahne protested.  
  
*I fear that she would. She is the head of my pack, and her decrees form our law. If she calls me an exile, then that is what I must be, and none of my brothers or sisters may gainsay it. To be a lone wolf is a terrible thing.*  
  
*What can you do about it?* Rahne asked.  
  
*Nothing, I fear,* he answered. *Not one of us dares stand up against her. She is too strong for us. The only thing that I can do is to leave the Iron Forest, and find a new home.*  
  
*You could come with us,* offered Rahne. *I mean, once we're able to go home.*  
  
He shook his head. *Your offer is generous, but I cannot accept it. I have gathered already from you that Midgard has changed much since the days when Odin and his folk still freely visited it. Everything would be foreign to me. And I have no doubt that the two-legs there would fear me greatly. No, your world is no place for me.*  
  
*Yes, I suppose that you're right about that,* said Rahne. *It's certainly a difficult place for wolves in general. People are only starting to learn better about them now. And I'm not sure that the Institute is the best place for you, either. You might be a little too conspicuous there. We've had trouble enough just keeping Kurt and Mr. McCoy a secret from everyone else. But if you can't come with us and you can't go back to the Iron Forest, where can you go?*  
  
*I do not know,* said Hrimhari. *Would that I did.* He sank his head in silence, a troubled look in his eyes.  
  
Rahne tried to think of something comforting to say. Before she could come up with anything, however, a voice called out her name behind her. She turned around, shifting back into human form as she did so. "Yes? What is it, Jamie?"  
  
"The others sent me to find you," said Jamie. "Scott says that you're wanted in the great hall. We're having a meeting."  
  
"All right," said Rahne. "I'm coming." She turned back to Hrimhari. "I'll be back again shortly," she said to him.  
  
He nodded his great head in silence, and then lay down to wait as she followed Jamie back to the dwarves' great hall.  
  
* * *  
  
King Eitri and the old one-eyed wanderer had re-entered the hall by the time that Rahne and Jamie joined the rest of the X-Men. Eitri had seated himself upon his throne, while the old man stood by his side.  
  
"I have been discussing the matter with Vegtam the Wanderer," said the dwarf-king, "and he believes that he can lead you to Loki and the friends of yours that he has deceived into assisting his cause."  
  
"He can?" asked Sam. "That's great! So when do we leave?"  
  
"Shortly," said King Eitri. "We still have to finish making the preparations for our departure."  
  
"And how long is that going to take?" asked Scott. "I mean, we can't just stand around here waiting for the rest of you to pack. We have friends to rescue."  
  
"We know that," said King Eitri. "And we will do whatever we can to help you. But we can do them little good if we do rush off recklessly."  
  
"He has a point," commented Beast. "As Napoleon once said, 'An army marches on its stomach.'"  
  
"Just once I'd like to go on a mission where Hank doesn't act like a walking Bartlett's," muttered Wolverine.  
  
"But do you know how to locate Loki?" Storm asked Vegtam.  
  
"Indeed I do," he replied. "I am - shall we say, all too familiar with that trickster and his methods. And I know much about his destination of Asgard."  
  
"I'd still like to know how long it's going to be before we can leave," said Scott.  
  
"A couple more hours, I believe," said King Eitri. "My people have already been in a state of war-readiness since we first learned about the dark elves close at hand. The only thing that they were not expecting was that the war would take them to Asgard. Once we have gathered our provisions, we shall depart."  
  
"I still say that we can't wait that long," Scott argued.  
  
"You do not have to," said Vegtam thoughtfully. "After all, do all of these Midgarders have to depart with your dwarf-host, King Eitri?" he inquired, turning to the dwarf-king.  
  
"It does not appear to be necessary," said King Eitri. "Two waves of reinforcements would certainly seem to be sound strategy."  
  
"I believe that you know how to reach Asgard without my assistance," said Vegtam. "So I will lead the Midgarders there myself. I hope that we will not arrive too late."  
  
"And just how do you know the way to Asgard, bub?" asked Logan. He glanced at the old man with a decidedly suspicious look in his eyes.  
  
"I have my ways," said Vegtam. "But this is no time long-winded explanations. It is time for us to leave now."  
  
"Then let us do just that," said Storm.  
  
The X-Men followed Vegtam from the hall. 


End file.
